St. Catherine's Monastery (Sinai)
St. Catherine's Monastery is a monastery on the Sinai peninsula, at the foot of Mount Sinai, in Egypt. It was built at the site where Moses is believed to have seen the Burning Bush, which is alive and on the grounds. Though it is commonly known as Saint Catherine's, the actual name of the monastery is the Monastery of the Transfiguration. It is sometimes also known as the Monastery of the Burning Bush. It is the oldest Christian monastery in the world.
Originally founded by the Emperor St. Justinian the Great in 527, the monastery has weathered numerous changes in the history of the region, including the invasion of Islam, whose "prophet" Mohammed himself guaranteed protection for the monastery. (The monastery still has possession of a written document from Mohammed to prove it.)
In the 9th century, the site was associated with St. Catherine of Alexandria (whose relics were miraculously transported there) and it became a favourite site for pilgrimages. Numerous ancient manuscripts have been preserved in the library, which is second only to the manuscript library of the Vatican. A number of ancient icons are also on the grounds, including the famous Pantokrator of Sinai, pictured at left, and the Ladder of Divine Ascent, an iconic representation of the book by that name by St. John Climacus.
The monastery also comprises the entire Church of Sinai, an autonomous Orthodox church headed by an archbishop, who is also the abbot of the monastery. The archbishop is traditionally consecrated by the Church of Jerusalem.
