Saint Catherine’s Monastery

The Sinai Peninsula is home to Saint Catherine's Monastery, also known as the Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of Saint Katherine of the Holy and God-Trodden Mount Sinai. It is located close to the Egyptian town of Saint Catherine at the head of a canyon at the base of Mount Sinai. The monastery bears Catherine of Alexandria's name. The monastery, which is run by the independent Church of Sinai, a division of the larger Greek Orthodox Church, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002 due to its distinctive significance in the Christian, Islamic, and Jewish traditions. The neighboring Mount Sinai, where Moses is reputed to have received the Ten Commandments, is often included in the itinerary of those who go there.

It is the oldest continually inhabited Christian monastery in the world, having been constructed between 548 and 565. Along with possibly the largest collection of early Christian icons, including the earliest known representation of Jesus as Christ Pantocrator, the site also houses the oldest continuously running library in the world, which contains rare or unique works like the Codex Sinaiticus and the Syriac Sinaiticus. The monastery was constructed near the site of what is typically thought to be where Moses saw the burning bush. The patronal feast of the monastery is the Feast of the Transfiguration. It has become a favorite site of pilgrimage.

Location: Saint Catherine, South Sinai Governorate, Egypt