Journey to the East - страница 5

The monastery developed a lot of legends. So, the name of the monastery is connected with the legend of the Holy Martyr Catherine (296 ad) in Alexandria. Catherine are unable to renounce their faith even by order of the Emperor, and was executed. After the death, as legend has it, her body was lifted up to the highest point of the Sinai mountains, and after three century a few monks found her body and buried it in a sarcophagus.

Now the Monastery of St. Catherine – this is the smallest diocese in the world, headed by the Archbishop of Sinai. Sinai Archbishop wears full Episcopal vestments with miter, scepter and a Golden cross. The monastery belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church. Most of the monks are Greeks and the monks of the cult of Saint Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea, representative Kappadokiyskoy school of Orthodox theology, who lived here in 329—379.

High rise in the sky the impregnable walls of the monastery.

The monastery, around which towering red walls with a height of 12 to 15 meters with watchtowers at the corners, covering the area of the square wrong. But outside the monastery is a whole town with architecture from different eras and styles.

Well-preserved bell tower of the monastery. The bells were donated to the monastery of the Russian Imperial surname.

The bell tower of the monastery of St. Catherine.

The main temple in the monastery is the Church of the Transfiguration, however, during holidays, to visitors open their doors 12 chapels dedicated to the virgin Mary and patron saints. One of them is the chapel of the Burning Bush, which is located near the Church of the Transfiguration. In the monastery there are several wells of Holy water. The most interesting is the well of Moses, about which there was the legendary meeting of Moses and Jethro’s daughters, one of whom became his wife.

The monastery of St. Catherine are not only the chapel and temple, but other rooms, which were regarded as the wound service, though are no less artistic and historical value. For example, the refectory in the Church, decorated with Gothic arches and illuminated by a single window.

The monastery has its own library, the size of only 15 x 10 meters, but how precious books are stored here – it is second in importance after the Vatican library. In this room holds about six million volumes and manuscripts in Greek, Arabic, Armenian, Coptic, Georgian, Syriac languages on theological, historical and scientific topics.