Saint Catherine Monastery or Saint Catherine Monastery (in Arabic: Monastery of Saint Catherine), Monastery of Saint Catherine of Holy Jerusalem or (in English: God-Trodden Moun Sinai) (in Greek: Ιερά Αυτόνομος Βασιλική Μονή Αγίας Αι κατερίνης Όρους Σινά), he An Eastern Orthodox monastery located in the Sinai Peninsula, at the mouth of a strait at the foot of Mount Sinai below Mount Catherine, the highest mountain in Egypt, near the city of Saint Catherine, Egypt. The monastery was named after Catherine of Alexandria.
It is said that it is the oldest monastery in the world. It is considered a major tourist attraction, as tourist groups from all over the world come to it. It is a retreat, managed by the head of the monastery, who is the Bishop of Sinai, and who is not subject to the authority of any patriarch or holy council, but has close relations. It is close with the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Therefore, the name of the Patriarch of Jerusalem is mentioned in the liturgies, even though the custodianship of the monastery was for long periods by the Russian Orthodox Church, and the monks and priests of the monastery are Greek and not Arabs or Egyptians, as are the bishops of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, which is controlled by Greeks. Long reigns. The Bishop of Sinai manages, in addition to the monastery, the churches and holy shrines located in South Sinai in the area of Al-Tur, the Firan Oasis, and Tarfa.

History of the monastery.

1899 map of the monastery's surroundings

2011 photo from the north of the monastery,
The monastery is located in the shadow of a group of three mountains in Ras Safsafa: “Mount Horeb,” “Mount Moses,” and “Mount Sinai.”

St. Catherine's Monastery, 1968

St. Catherine's Monastery by Levett Hunt, 1852
The monastery was built on the order of Empress Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine, but Emperor Justinian was the one who actually built it between the years 545 AD to contain the remains of Saint Catherine, who lived in Alexandria.
The earliest record of monastic life at Mount Sinai comes from a travel journal written in Latin by a pilgrim named Egeria (Etheria; Saint Sylvia of Aquitaine) around 381/2–386.
The monastery was built by order of Emperor Justinian I (527-565), and contains the Chapel of the Burning Bosch (also known as the "Church of St. Helen"), commissioned by the Empress Consort Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, on the site where Moses is supposed to have seen The burning jungle. It is claimed that the living bush on the ground was the one that Moses saw. Structurally the abbey's king post truss is the oldest known surviving roof truss in the world. The site is sacred to Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.
During the seventh century, Sinai's isolated Christian companions were eliminated: only the fortified monastery remained. The monastery is still surrounded by the massive fortifications that preserved it. Until the twentieth century, access was through a door high in the outer walls. From the beginning of the First Crusade, the presence of the Crusaders in Sinai until 1270 aroused the interest of European Christians and increased the number of intrepid pilgrims who visited the monastery. The monastery was supported by its dependencies in Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Crete, Cyprus and Constantinople.
And bracelets in St. Catherine's Monastery
The monastery, along with several dependencies in the area, forms the entire Sinai Church, headed by an archbishop who is also the abbot of the monastery. The exact administrative status of the church within the Eastern Orthodox Church is ambiguous: by some, including the church itself, it is considered autocephalic, by others as an autonomous church under the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem. The archbishop is traditionally consecrated by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem; He usually resided in Cairo in recent centuries. During the bitter Crusades between the Orthodox and Catholic churches, the monastery was patronized by both Byzantine emperors and the rulers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and their courts.
On April 18, 2017, an attack by ISIS on a checkpoint near the monastery resulted in the death of a policeman and the injury of three police officers.
The story of Saint Catherine.
The story says that Saint Catherine - who was from a pagan aristocratic family - was born in Alexandria in the year 194 AD and was called “Zorossiacant”. She was cultured and beautiful. Everyone desired her for her beauty. She rejected everyone and believed in Christianity during the persecution of Emperor Maximinus. She publicly accused him of making sacrifices to idols. However, he ordered 50 orators from All over his empire in order to convince them, but on the contrary, they converted to Christianity. About three centuries after the death of Catherine, her holy relics appeared in the dream of one of the monks of the monastery that had been established by Emperor Justinian. These relics were moved and placed in the church structure in a marble box next to the main structure. The perfume flowing from the saint’s relics continues to constitute a permanent marvel, and the monastery has become known by her name since the century. eleventh. There is a church in Alexandria named after her.
Archaeological value.
• The monastery contains a historic church that contains old gifts from kings and princes, including silver chandeliers, and it has a well that they say is Moses’ well. It was also built around a tree that is said to be the tree of Moses, which caught fire and Moses was guided to it to speak to his Lord. They say that attempts were made to plant it. Outside the monastery, but it failed and does not grow anywhere else outside the monastery.
• The monastery represents a piece of multiple historical art. There are Arabic mosaics, Russian and Greek icons, oil frescoes, wax engravings, and more.
• The monastery also contains a library of manuscripts, which is said to be the second largest manuscript library after the Vatican, a hostel for visitors, and a distinctive ancient bell tower. The service at the monastery some members of the Bedouin.
• In addition to the relics of Saint Catherine, there is a relic in the monastery containing the remains of all the monks who lived in the monastery. Visits are permitted from early morning until noon, after which it closes its doors to visitors so that the monks can devote themselves to their religious duties.
• All Western tourists and others are required to dress modestly when entering the monastery, and thobes are available there