Changes

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 founder 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 [[pilgrimage]]s. Numerous ancient manuscripts have been preserved in the library, which is second only to the manuscript library of the Vatican. The collection consists of some 3,500 volumes in Greek, Coptic, Arabic, Armenian, Hebrew, Slavic, Syriac, Georgian and other languages.