 
At the foot of the mountain where Moses is said to have received the Ten Commandments, lies the monastery of St. Catherine. Early Christian hermits, seeking seclusion from worldly affairs, lived around the holy mountain since the early times of Christendom.
After her visit to the impressive site of the Burning Bush Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, decided in 330 AD to build a chapel in this site and dedicate it to Virgin Mary.
Finally in 527 AD Emperor Justinian ordered the construction of a fortress on which the entrance wooden frames carry the names of Justinian, his wife Theodora and the architect’s Stephanos.
St. Catherine is considered to be one of the oldest Christian monasteries, and the smallest diocese in the world. It's Monks today are Greek Orthodox and of different nationalities. The wealthy monastery has branches in Cairo, Cyprus and Crete.
|
