St. Catherine's Monastery
Another early morning as we head into the interior of the Sinai peninsula, away from beaches and resorts and toward the mountains. The landscape turns rockier and hillier as we climb to the interior. Not far from the coast we find ourselves in true mountains, a rugged and dry country with few settlers and little to offer. While there are surely pockets of civilization, this is not an area that one would wish to wander for many months. Amid the desolation is an intriguing oasis, the monastery of St. Catherine . The oldest working monastery in the world, this tiny community was founded in the mid 6th century on the orders of emperor Justinian to mark and guard the site of the "Burning Bush", at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Today a part of the Greek Orthodox Church, it is the home to a small but highly devoted group of Eastern monks, who guard its treasures and their peace.
Over the years, this tiny walled monastery was often surrounded by less-than-friendly regimes. After 640, only 100 years after its founding, Egypt became an Islamic country. At various times the rulers in Cairo were disposed to remove this center of Christian worship, but were restrained at least in part by a surviving dispensation from Mohammed himself. A mosque was constructed inside the walls in the 10th century, and an ongoing uneasy truce continues to this day. While today one can enter through a narrow door, the pulley-and-rope system used in earlier days remains in place.
In addition to the burning bush, St. Catherine's is home to the 2nd largest library of early Christian manuscripts after the Vatican. It used to house the earliest known bible, the Sinai codex, which was removed for study decades ago and has yet to be returned. There is an ongoing negotiation around this codex, which bars the other treasures of St. Catherine's from touring the world. Even at the monastery, only a small fraction of its extraordinary collection of icons is available for viewing. The icons are gifts from every Orthodox ruler since 550, in every style and from every corner of eastern Christianity. The importance of the monastery led monarchs to provide the richest and best of their art. Even the few items on display are incredible and unique, showing the evolution of iconic art from the Middle Ages through today.
The church at the monastery is, like much of the site, tiny and packed with extraordinary art. This Byzantine church commemorates the transfiguration of Christ, and some of the most fabulous icons are crammed into a small chamber off the altar with several relics. The sancuary is lit with lamps and candles and torches, the sheer volume of contents almost impossible to comprehend. There are only enough pews for the residents, it seems, as even the few dozen tourists pack the interior almost beyond tolerance. The weight of ages is palpable, along with a sneaking suspicion that the monks are not the best housekeepers. Dust and disrepair, as in any old home, are visible in every corner.
Directly outside the rear entry of the church is the burning bush , which looks to my amateur's eye like nothing so much as a small fruit tree. Many excited tourists take photos directly into the sun to capture this important moment. The tree seems rather young, and I must wonder how frequently the monks replace the burning bush for authenticity's sake. Roughly 100 feet away is Moses' well, the site of several famed meetings. I understand from those who have read and retained the Bible stories of Moses that the well and the Burning Bush should really not be next to each other. I defer to other scholars on that point.