“The world and its desires are passing away, but whoever does the will of God remains for ever.” (1 John 2:17)
Mount Sinai – Jebel Musa (Arabic) – in eastern Egypt, situated at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula, is 2,440 metres high and lies 480 km from Cairo and 240 km from the Gulf of Aqaba (in present-day Jordan). The mountain is also known as Mount Horeb and forms part of a barren mountain range.
Geographically, the Sinai Peninsula marks the meeting point between two continents separated by two seas: the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. The Sinai Peninsula forms the link between Africa and Asia, the direct route leading from Europe to the Indian Ocean and, thus, to the Middle East.
The Sinai seems forgotten by history, arid and unproductive, of no material use to anyone. There can be no agriculture or tourism here, for by day the heat is merciless, whilst by night a biting cold makes you reconsider your view of the scorching climate of any eastern desert. The Sinai bears the weight of a history stretching back thousands of years. The solitude of the sandy wasteland and the endless chain of high, barren mountains combine to create a phantasmagorical landscape. Few human beings can live in these parts of the world. Only a few Bedouin settlements inhabit the small villages scattered amongst the granite mountains 1.
Millions of people turn to the pages of the Holy Scriptures to follow the biblical history associated with these places. The account of the Jewish people’s journey through the Sinai Desert on their way to the Land of Canaan is recorded in great detail in the Old Testament and, even today, thousands of years later, continues to arouse religious interest amongst many researchers, pilgrims and tourists. Thus, the Israelites’ journey to Canaan through the Sinai Peninsula was a divine command. In less than three months, the Israelites reached Mount Sinai (Horeb). They remained near Mount Sinai for about a year. ‘Once, as Moses set out with the people into the wilderness, he came to the mountain of God, to Horeb. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from within a bush. And he saw that the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And when the Lord saw that he (Moses) was drawing near to look, the Lord called to him from the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he replied, ‘Here I am, Lord!’ And the Lord said: ‘Do not come any closer! Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground…’ (Exodus 3:1–5)2. On Mount Sinai, Moses received the Tablets of the Law containing the Ten Commandments and underwent a transformative experience – a transfiguration – as preparation for leading the Israelites through the wilderness that lay ahead of them.
The Exodus from Egypt was the greatest event of Old Testament times for the people of Israel. The observance of Passover became an annual reminder that God had delivered them from bondage. Near Mount Sinai, the Israelites celebrated their liberation for the first time. After thirty-eight years of wandering through the wilderness, the Jewish people, having crossed the Red Sea, first reached the eastern side of the Jordan at Mount Nebo, and then entered Canaan.
In this wilderness of Sinai, 600 years after the exodus of the Israelites, the Holy Prophet Elijah the Tishbite took refuge on Mount Horeb, fleeing the wrath of Queen Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab. He set out on the road to Be’er Sheva 3 and fell asleep under a juniper tree, but the angel of the Lord roused him and fed him, saying: ‘Get up, eat and drink. For you have a long journey ahead of you!’ So Elijah got up, ate and drank, and, strengthened by that food, walked for forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God. And there he went into a cave and stayed there’ (3 Kings 19:7–9).
After the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, in the first century, thousands of Christians crossed the deserts of Egypt from one end to the other, practising asceticism, prayer and contemplation. Many of them founded monasteries far from the clamour of the populated cities. They became beacons for others, role models to be emulated. In the centuries that followed, the Sinai Peninsula – a land isolated in itself and seemingly at the end of the world – became a place of pilgrimage for millions of people.
Wadi Haggag – the Valley of the Pilgrims (in Arabic) – is a valley in the north-east of the Sinai Peninsula. This valley has been the route across the Sinai Desert since the time of the Roman Empire, which named this route Via Nova Traiana4 The route became the only access route from the Holy Places – Jerusalem, Eilat and the Gulf of Aqaba – to the monasteries in the Egyptian part of the peninsula. This route has thus been preserved to this day, in the 21st century, though it has been modernised with tarmacking, lighting and, of course, borders between neighbouring countries. Travelling along this route through the desert, tourists can see fragments of stone on which inscriptions in the Nabataean, Greek, Latin, Coptic, Aramaic, Greek and Armenian languages can still be made out. These are testimonies from the time of the successive empires that ruled this peninsula centuries ago. Today, the Sinai Peninsula is Egyptian territory.
In the early centuries of Christianity, most monasteries were founded in the deserts of Egypt. Oases of faith and the birthplace of Eastern monasticism, the monasteries of Christian Egypt have become places much sought after by pilgrims.
One such oasis is St Catherine’s Monastery 5.
The origins of this monastery date back to the 4th century, when Empress Helena built a small chapel dedicated to the Mother of God on the spot where Moses had seen the Burning Bush. That is why, at the entrance to the monastery church, on the front wall, Mount Sinai is depicted, at the foot of which the Burning Bush burns unquenchably, and, above it all, the Mother of God watching over the monastery. Initially, the small chapel was dedicated to the Annunciation. Later, the monastery, built by Emperor Justinian between 527 and 565 AD, was dedicated to the Transfiguration.
As early as 324 AD, a small community of monks gathered around the chapel near the Burning Bush, which commemorated, and still commemorates to this day, the encounter between the prophet Moses and God, Who appeared to him in a pillar of fire, like a burning bush that was not consumed.
The monastery founded by Emperor Justinian bore the name ‘The Burning Bush’ until the 9th century, when the relics of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine were miraculously discovered on a mountain slope called Gebel Katherina (2,642 m), a nine-hour walk from the monastery. After the holy relics were brought down to the monastery a century later, the monastery took the name of Saint Catherine’s Monastery, as it is known to this day. The head and left hand of Saint Catherine are preserved in a silver reliquary in the monastery’s church.
St Catherine’s Monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the oldest Orthodox Christian monasteries in the world with an unbroken monastic tradition. It belongs to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, represented by the Archdiocese of Mount Sinai and Raithu in the Sinai Peninsula Governorate.
The Greek Orthodox monks living in this monastery maintain liturgical life through the daily Divine Liturgies and the seven hours of prayer, which have been celebrated without interruption for centuries. They are responsible for welcoming pilgrims and look after the small Bedouin communities in the area, providing them with food and education. For centuries, these Bedouins have been part of the monastery’s life, serving as guides and leaders for pilgrims wishing to climb the steep slopes of Mount Sinai. The monastery’s records state that these Bedouins were brought here by Emperor Justinian to assist and guard the monastery. They were of Aromanian-Vlach origin, Orthodox Christians from the Dobruja region. During the 6th–9th centuries, Muslim incursions into Sinai gradually forced them to adopt the Islamic faith. Nevertheless, over the centuries they remained loyal and dedicated to supporting the monastery, as part of the wider family of this monastic community, carrying out their duties, primarily those relating to the guarding of Mount Sinai and the protection of travellers wishing to climb the rocky surroundings.
Climbing Mount Sinai is the most moving part of the pilgrimages. Most often, the ascent takes place at night, by the light of small lanterns, travelling on foot or on camels. Here and there are small Bedouin rest stops, where pilgrims are offered tea, coffee or blankets when the cold settles over the mountain. The final stretch of the journey to the summit involves climbing 700 stone steps. A small Greek Orthodox stone chapel and a mosque stand up there, watching over the horizon. Perched on large boulders at the edge of the precipices, pilgrims eagerly await the spectacle of the sunrise. From that height of 2,440 metres, far from the world, in an almost tangible silence, those present experience a unique moment in their lives. Then, still in silence, somewhat weary but joyful, the pilgrims descend towards the monastery, where, at dawn, the Divine Liturgy begins. For hundreds of years, this has been celebrated solely by the light of oil lamps and candles. At the end of the service, the priests remove the reliquary containing the holy relics of Saint Catherine from the Holy Altar and present each person present with a ring bearing the insignia of Saint Catherine. It is a gift from the Saint, offered to those who have made the effort to come this far.
The monastery is built like a fortress, with enclosure walls 10 metres high. Within this monastic fortress lie the church, the library, the museum, the ossuary, the monks’ cells, the 4th-century chapel, the minaret of the former mosque—built during the Fatimid Caliphate6— the ‘Burning Bush’ tree, the guesthouse, and a dining hall for pilgrims.
Behind the Holy Altar lies the Chapel of the Burning Bush, founded by Saint Helena. Beneath the Holy Table lies a fragment of the rock upon which Moses stood and heard the voice of the Lord saying to him: ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground…’.
In the monastery’s inner courtyard is the museum, housing an impressive collection of icons and ecclesiastical artefacts. Icons painted on wood depicting the Saviour Jesus Christ – the Pantocrator (6th century) and others from the period between the 6th and 9th centuries, such as the Mother of God with the Infant, Saint Nicholas the Hierarch, and Saint Catherine, bearing their luminous and gentle likenesses.
Church artefacts – candlesticks, censers, reliquaries and Holy Gospels bound in gold and silver, set with precious stones – were donated in centuries past by various visitors to the monastery. Among them were Romanian rulers such as Alexandru Lăpușneanul, Mihail Cantacuzino, Saint Voivode Martyr Constantin Brâncoveanu and others. The monastery’s two large bells were gifted by Emperor Alexander II of Russia 7.
The library of St Catherine’s Monastery houses an impressive collection of ancient manuscripts, which bear witness to the centuries-long existence of this holy site and to its missionary activities in this part of the world. Over 3,000 manuscripts in Greek, as well as others in Aramaic, Syriac, Georgian, Church Slavonic and Armenian, demonstrate the emergence and continuity of early Christianity in Egypt. Among these, one of the most important documents is the Codex Sinaiticus 8. In the monastery’s library, amongst other documents, letters and manuscripts, there are also some bearing the signature of Metropolitan Antim Ivireanul 9. The Metropolitan’s links with Sinai were established by Saint Constantine Brâncoveanu, the Martyr Voivode of Wallachia, who contributed greatly to the material, cultural and spiritual development of St Catherine’s Monastery. The fact that the Metropolis of Ungro-Wallachia possessed a printing press and that Metropolitan Antim Ivireanul was directly involved in the printing of liturgical, patristic and historical texts demonstrates the harmonious ties that existed between Wallachia, the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Later, following the martyrdom of Saint Constantin Brâncoveanu, his sons and his counsellor on 15 August 1714, in Istanbul, Metropolitan Antim Ivireanul was also subjected to acts of betrayal, arbitrary actions and unjust treatment, despite having worked tirelessly to build up the ecclesiastical culture of that era. Consequently, he was subjected to an unjust defrocking and sentenced to life imprisonment in exile on Mount Sinai. Indeed, in the very act of defrocking Saint Antim Ivireanul, he was ordered to retire to the monastery on Mount Sinai, as recorded in the firman sentencing him to exile: ‘10’. However, the journey to St Catherine’s Monastery came to an end much sooner, as Saint Antim was thrown into the waters of the River Maritsa at Adrianople.
In the spacious courtyard of the monastery, flanked by centuries-old eucalyptus trees, olive groves and flowering oleanders, pilgrims descend a few steps to discover a small, centuries-old chapel housing the ossuary. Enclosed within wire mesh fences, piles of yellow, sweet-smelling bones serve as a reminder of the thousands of inhabitants of this holy place who rest here. One, in particular, is Saint Stephen of Sinai, who fell asleep in the Lord whilst sitting on a small stool, with his censer in his hand, clothed in the great angelic robe, and whose relics have been preserved in this state to this day. In the book The Ladder of Saint John Climacus, mention is made of this hermit of Sinai: “There lived a certain Stephen, who embraced a life of hermitage and solitude, spending many years in the monastery, in tears and fasting. He practised asceticism in a cave in the mountain, where Saint Elijah the Tishbite also lived.” It is also said of this hermit of Sinai that he would often sit at the monastery gate and hear the confessions of those who wished to climb to the summit of the mountain.
Over time, many monks from across the Eastern Orthodox world have been drawn to St Catherine’s Monastery and its surroundings, seeking the tranquillity of the place, the silence of Mount Sinai and the solitude of souls thirsting for God. Among them were Saint John Climacus, Saint Paisios the Athonite, Saint Nilus the Hermit of Mount Sinai, the Hieromonk Juvenal the Stranger (a Romanian who came here from Palestine, from the Romanian Skete on the Jordan, in the 1970s) and many others. These figures, in different centuries, joined the Holy Fathers of the Egyptian desert: Saint Paul of Thebes, Saint Anthony the Great, Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, Saint Macarius the Great, Saint Arsenius the Great, Saint Moses the Arab, Saint Ephrem the Syrian, Saint John Cassian, the Holy Martyrs of Rait and Sinai, Saint Singlitichia of Alexandria, Saint Catherine and others. They laboured throughout the Egyptian desert, from Alexandria and Cairo as far as Sinai.
For many centuries, St Catherine’s Monastery had numerous hermitages, dependencies and caves, in which thousands of monks practised their asceticism. Of these, only a few remain: Faran Monastery (The Seven Virgins) in the Faran Oasis and the wilderness of Wadi Faran, where a few nuns still practise asceticism to this day; Rait Monastery, dedicated to Saint George the Great Martyr, where a few monks live and where the relics of the Holy Martyrs slain by the Persians in Sinai and Rait are kept, as well as the complete relics of a contemporary saint (20th century), Abba Arsenios.
For thousands of years, the Egyptian desert has continually been a wellspring of faith, which has manifested itself in the lives of holy men and women. They have always carried in their souls God’s mysterious call to the heights of spirituality, devotedly embracing new fulfilments of creation and carrying with them, into the future, the legacy of divine love.
- 1
Stavrofora Theodora Videscu, Jerusalem, the Meaning of the World, published by Nemira, Bucharest, 2015.
- 2
Samuel J. Scultz, A Journey Through the Old Testament, Cartea Creștină Publishers, Oradea, 2008, pp. 73–74.
- 3
A town in southern Israel, in the Negev Desert.
- 4
Ahmed Osman, Christianity, an Ancient Egyptian Religion, Bear & Company, Rochester, Vermont, 2005.
- 5
The Great Martyr Saint Catherine (25 November / 7 December) was born in Alexandria, Egypt, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Maximian (286–305), at a time of the fiercest persecutions against Christians. She was of Greek-Egyptian descent and was the daughter of the governor of Alexandria. She received an excellent education, becoming a cultured and very beautiful young woman. Feeling the call of Jesus Christ, she embraced the Christian faith, which brought upon her the wrath of her family as well as that of the Roman authorities. Emperor Maxentius had launched a major persecution of the Christians in Alexandria and, upon learning of the young Catherine, sent 50 pagan philosophers to her to challenge her faith in Jesus Christ. It was in vain, for her intelligence and her love for Christianity astonished those philosophers, who withdrew without success. When her parents urged her to marry a wealthy young man from high society, she refused, saying that ‘her bridegroom is Christ’. In a marvellous and mysterious way, a ring appeared on her finger, thus showing that Christ had chosen her to follow Him in faith. For her refusal to renounce her Christian faith, Catherine was beheaded in Alexandria, her head being placed on a block of granite, which is preserved to this day in the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Sava in Alexandria.
- 6
The Fatimid Caliphate (969–1171) was an Arab-Berber empire which conquered several territories in the Middle East. The Caliphate also ruled Egypt, and during its occupation, it built a mosque in the courtyard of St Catherine’s Monastery and another higher up on the mountain, next to the Greek Orthodox chapel. Neither of these is in use today.
- 7
Emperor of Russia from 1855 to 1881.
- 8
The Codex Sinaiticus – the Sinai Bible – comprises a manuscript of the most important chapters of the Old and New Testaments in Greek, dating from 325–360 AD. It was written on parchment, in uncial script typical of the 4th to 8th centuries AD.
- 9
Metropolitan of Wallachia (1708–1715), born in Georgia in 1650. He died in 1716 at Adrianople, whilst on his way to his exile in Sinai, to which he had been sentenced by Prince Nicolae Mavrocordat.
- 10
Adrian Marinescu, PhD candidate, ‘Aspects of Metropolitan Antim Ivireanul’s Links with Sinai’, source: https://www.crestinortodox.ro/religie/aspecte-legaturilor-mitropolitului-antim-ivireanul-sinaiul-121396.html.