St. Catherine Monastery

You will be picked up at the hotel reception and driven directly to the monastery.

St. Catherine is at the foot of Mount Sinai, also known as Mount Moses, because Moses is said to have received the Ten Commandments here. The monastery was built on the site of the alleged real Burning Bush through which God spoke to Moses. It is believed that monastic life has existed here for over 1,600 years, making the Catherine Monastery one of the oldest monasteries in the world. Saint Helena, mother of Constantine I, the first Roman emperor who professed Christianity, ordered the construction of a chapel at the site of the Burning Bush in the early 4th century AD. on. The monastery in its current form was then built by Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century with strong fortifications to protect the monks. Thanks to these measures, its isolated location and the protection of Mohamed, the Prophet of Islam, who promised in writing that the monastery would be spared Muslim attacks, the complex remained untouched over the centuries.

Therefore, not only can you see the buildings, walls and decorations in their almost original form, countless valuable objects have been preserved to this day and are invaluable to the modern scientists who walk the paths of history. The library, for example, houses the second largest collection of ancient writings in the world, only surpassed by the Vatican library. You can also admire the world's largest collection of ancient icons, as they even survived the Byzantine iconoclasm behind the walls of the secluded monastery, destroying most of the early icons. You can also visit the various buildings and ornate mosaics, and take a look at the bush in the courtyard, which is said to be Moses' Burning Bush.

The monastery is still home to monks and has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage since 2002. As you can see now, this award is justified.

After lunch we go back to the hotel.