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SAINT KATHERINE'S MONASTERY |
St. Katherinae's monastery is located in heart of there Sinai peninsula at a height of 1,570
meters in the place where , according to tradition , Moses saw the bush on fire which didn't bush up .
Its in the foothills of Gabel Musa, "Moses Mountain" , on whose summit the prophet received the tables of the law with the ten commandments inscribed .
The monastery dates back to the age of the emperor Justinian (VI century ), and it was in this
period that the mighty walls which still surround that city today were built .
It was only in the beginning of the eleventh century that
the monastery was named after Saint Katherine, a young
Christian from Alexandria who died as a martyr in the fourth century.
In fact , according to the legend, her body was miraculously discovered on the peak of a mountain near the Gable Musa .
From then on this mountain was known as Gable katherina , and at 2,637 it’s the highest point in Sinai .
Only a very limited part of the monastery in currently open to the public .Those parts of monastery which can be
visited are the basilica, with three naves , in the Byzantine style and including the famous "Transfiguration
Mosaic" ;Moses' Well, which according to tradition is where he met his future wife ; the garden
and the ossuary .
The library , which is second only to that of the Vatican in worldwide importance, the
Icon Gallery, the ancient refectory, the treasure and the
Burning Bush Chapel are all virtually inaccessible .the monastery is open from 09.00-12.00 except Friday , Sunday , and religious holidays. There are currently ten monks at the monastery following the Eastern Orthodox Church liturgy .
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