St. Catherine's Monastery by Kim Acosta

Saint Catherine Monastery Mount Sinai

· General Description
· Architectural Design
· Harmony with Nature
· Symbolism and Sacred Objects
· How it is used by Worshippers
· Sources

Chapel sits atop the roots of the Biblical Bush
“that burned with fire, and was not consumed”
(Exodus 3:2)



In a desert of rugged terrain, many mountains, granite rock, sits one of the most sacred sites in the world. Located in between Egypt and Israel at the base of Mt.Sinai, is the Saint Catherine Monastery. Arguments among theologians, scholars, and historians still exist, but according to the people that have lived there for seventeen centuries, this is the mountain of Moses.
Manuscripts detailing a large number of monks living at Mt.Sinai in 372 AD and describing a small cliff dwelling church at a rock high on Mt.Sinai, was discovered in the late 1800’s. This letter described the rock of Moses as the site where Moses spoke to God and received the Ten Commandments. The Latin noblewoman and her clerics were requesting protection for the large population of Christians on the mountain that were constantly under attack from local tribes and foreign armies. There are manuscripts documenting in 527-564 AD, Byzantium Emperor Justinian funded and built a church and walls at the base of Mt. Sinai to help protect the Christian Monks and an existing chapel surrounding the sacred Burning Bush (the very one that God spoke to Moses through).
The chapel, church, walls, and many other structures remain today and are named after the Christian martyr, Saint Catherine. According to ancient manuscripts, in 294 AD, Catherine of Alexandria was beheaded by the Roman Emperor Maximuss, because she tried to stop his persecutions of Christians. Before her death, she managed to convert the wife of Maximuss and many of his subjects to Christianity. Legend has it that at her death, Angels carried her body away and placed her at the top of Mt. Sinai. Around 800 AD, the monks allegedly found her remains and placed them in a sarcophagus that is now sitting at the front and center of the Basilica Church. Christian Monks and the fortress like Basilica continued to struggle for another 300 years until Europe took notice. The Vatican came to their aid as well as most all world leaders, despite being located in a predominantly Islamic region. Security of the land and for the Saint Catherine Monastery was created by Egypt, with the help of funds and support from all of Europe.
The sixty foot tall walls surround a multi-dimensional compound of various historical ancient structures. The Basilica Church is in the center of the monastery since it includes the ancient chapel to the Biblical Burning Bush and holds priceless Byzantine art work from over the centuries. The Basilica was built atop the roots of the Burning Bush in 527 AD, the same time as the walls. Named “Katholikon,” (Church of St.Catherine), it still has the original wooden 1400 year old crusader doors, pins and hinges. The interior of the church is highly ornate with patterned marble floors, marbled religious panels and many silver hanging lamps. The church is well balanced with small chapels and double arched windows on each of the side walls. Two rows of colonnades separate the sanctuary into three aisles. Each colonnade has six monolithic granite columns with Christian symbols carved and painted on the capital of each. At the back of the church is a floor to ceiling highly wood carved iconostasis that divides the sanctuary from the priesthood. Behind the iconostasis, is the apse area that holds the marbled coffin of St.Catherine. Above the apse area, up high on the ceiling is a beautiful mosaic named, The Mosaic of the Transfiguration. .

Next to the Katholikon Church is a bell tower that continues to be used every Sunday before services. Water for the monastery is provided by an underground spring that has never been dry. The spring has access within the monastery at the Fountain of Moses, allegedly the spot where Moses met his wife, Zipporah. Other structures include the Charnel House that holds the remains of monks from centuries past in an underground crypt. There are two theories as to why there is a Mosque present, one to appease a potential invader and the other is because some of the caretakers of the monastery have been of Muslim descent. Also on the ancient grounds, is a library and gallery. Each building holding a world’s worth of religious treasure.
The color and texture of the granite walls and buildings almost blend into the harsh desert mountain background. However, right outside the walls of the monastery a softer image of large ancient green cypress trees growing right along olive trees and well kept gardens is seen. Monks living a life of solitude, quietly tend to growing vegetables in an area of well fertilized soil. Inhabitants of the monastery seem to have adapted to their surrounding over the hundreds of years.
This monastery is rich in fifteen centuries worth of irreplaceable works of art and illuminated manuscripts. Over two thousand pieces of religious mosaics, paintings, icons, and wood carvings are stored in the gallery, church, chapels, monks living quarters. Much of the artwork consists of Byzantine elements such as large inscriptions and strong linear presence. Crusader paintings and icons were made mostly by the monks as a sign of their love of God. The most ancient icons, Encaustic Icons, were made using colored pigment placed on wood with hot wax. Through out the centuries, different techniques used included tempera painting, drawing strong religious backgrounds to drawing more natural backgrounds and using softer colors in the most recent centuries. Housed in the gallery area are gifted artworks from historical leaders such as Czar Alexander the Great, and the Empress Catherine of Russia.

The most historical and spiritual significance for Christians, Jews, and Muslims is held in the monastery library. Over 4600 ancient illuminated manuscripts are stored out of public view, second in size in the world, to the Vatican. One of the two original 4th century Christian Bibles, the Codex Sinaiticus, was stored at the monastery until the mid 1800’s when it was borrowed or stolen, and not returned. The Codex Sinaiticus is a text of Holy Scripture translating into the King James Version of the Bible. (Most of it now resides in the British Museum. The second original, the Codex Vaticanus, is in Rome.) The library was built in 1951 to store all the manuscripts and to begin a preservation process. Today, the library has a staff of trained historians specializing in high tech conservation.
Currently, about 20 monks reside within the walls of Saint Catherine. Mass is conducted fives times per day in the Basilica. Most of the structures are closed to the public, but you might be able to obtain a pass by writing to the government of Egypt. Despite not being able to see inside the library, gallery, and other significant structures, hundreds of tourist and pilgrims visit the monastery on a daily basis.



Sources:

Books
Bonneville, Patrick and Philippe Hemono. “St .Catherine Area”. The World Heritage Unesco’s Classified Sites . Canada Bonneville Connection 2006: p.316.

Smith, Jonathan Riley. “Mount Sinai.” The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades.
Oxford University Press 2001: pp. 154-156.


Web Sites

Sands of Time. InterKnowledge Corp. 1997-1998. http://www.geographia.com/egypt/Sinai

Saint Catherine’s Monastery, Mount Sinai. http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Catherine

Saint Catherine Monastery. http://www.sis.gov.eg/EN/Tourism

Mt. Sinai. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/egypt



Video
I was surprised to find these videos on such restricted ancient property.

St. Catherine’s Monastery, Mount Sinai P1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nogz113K1So

St. Catherine’s Monastery, Mount Sinai P2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbUX4Sw4734




-K.Acosta