St Catherine’s Monastery in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula
is believed to enshrine the burning bush from which God first revealed himself
to Moses. It also contains a treasure trove of icons and ancient manuscripts.
St Catherine’s is one of the oldest Christian
monasteries in the world and has been the center of monastic life in the
southern Sinai. Monks have lived here almost without interruption since the
Byzantine emperor Justinian built the monastery in the 6th century. St.
Catherine’s was built on an earlier chapel, which Helena, Constantine’s Mother,
ordered to be built in 337 AD.
Since the location was difficult to protect from
marauders, Justinian surrounded the monastery with a granite stonewall about 6
feet thick. Most of what can be seen on the site today dates back to the 6th
century.
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