home>About Egypt >The history of St Katherine's Monastery

The history of St Katherine's monastery

In 313 AD Emporer Constantine the Great recognised Christianity and granted freedom of worship. In this atmosphere of religious freedom, monasticism all over the empire – and particularly in Sinai - took on a new lease of life.

Monks had been living around the sacred sites of the burning Bush and the rock of Moses for decades; now they petitioned Constantine's mother, Empress Helena, for her patronage. In 330AD Helena erected a small church and a tower at the site of the Burning Bush. Pilgrims of the late 4th century relate that there was an important and flourishing community of monks in Sinai at this time. Famous among them was a former high officer of the Emperor in Constantinople, St Nile, whose writings are still studied today by priest, monks and believers.

The real turning point of the history of Sinai monasticism came in the 6th century, when Emperor Justinian offered the building of the great walled monastery fortress, encompassing Helena's earlier edifices, and of a magnificent church, which remains today. Justinian also provided soldiers to defend the monks. A Greek inscription preserved on a roof beams of the Church immortalised the manes of Justinian, his wife Theodora and the architect, Stephano.

The Arab invasion of the 7th century was a great threat to Sinai's monastic monks. According to tradition, the monks of St Catherine sent a delegation to Medina, in 625AD, to ask for Mohammed's patronage and protection. The request was granted; a copy of the original document is still in the monastery today proclaiming that Muslims should defend the monks. Legend has it that Mohammed visited the monastery on one of his journeys as a merchant. Consequently when the peninsula came under the rule of the Arab conquerors in 641AD, the monks and their monastery continued to live unmolested and emerged unscathed from the early Arab period.

The number of monks declined, however, many converting to Islam. The mosque within the compound was built to placate less benevolent rulers, probably in the 11th century.

The Crusader era (1099 to 1240) provided an impetus for fresh recruits to the monastery; later, it found new shelter under the Ottoman rulers. During the 17th century, for example, the monastery had extensive cultural and educational activities ranging as far abroad as Crete, Turkey, Romania, Russia and even India. The modern era has been less kind – the 20th century saw the loss of most of its overseas possessions. Today there are around 30 monks in residence – and the direct line that connects these monks with their ancestors makes St Catherine's the oldest continuously inhabited building in the world.