The Monastery of St. Catherine at Mount Sinai

The Monastery of St. Catherine at Mount Sinai is one of the best-known early monastic establishments. Situated in the barren wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula, the monastery is dominated by the mighty massif of Mt. Sinai (Jebel Musa) where, according to the Biblical tradition, Moses received the Tablets of the Law from God. The monastery’s fame rests on several different factors. The primary factor is its location on the site of the Burning Bush where Moses first encountered God. This has made the monastery a locus sanctus par-excellence for the three great religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Built in its present form by Emperor Justinian I (527-65), the monastery was also intended as a frontier fortress, protecting the holy site as well the monastic community. The church, originally dedicated to the Mother of God, now dedicated to St. Catherine, was also built under the auspices of Emperor Justinian. The names of Justinian, his deceased consort Theodora, and the builder Stephanos of Aila appear on the roof trusses, dating the construction to 548-65. The well-preserved church is decorated with some of the finest sixth-century mosaics. The church, constructed of local stone, also incorporates other building materials, such as wood and marble, which were imported from afar, with great difficulty.

The exhibition was organized to commemorate Kurt Weitzmann (1904-93) and the Princeton-Michigan expedition to Mt. Sinai. Weitzmann, professor of art and archaeology at Princeton (1945-72) and his colleague George Forsyth, then professor at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), organized a series of expeditions (1956-65) to Mount Sinai, with the aim of studying the Monastery of St. Catherine and its treasures. The results of these expeditions, published in several volumes on the architecture of the monastery and the church, the mosaics, icons, and manuscripts, have made a major impact on the course of study of Byzantine art.

The exhibition is not a comprehensive survey of one particular subject. It is a selection of images that provides insights into various aspects of the monastery, its environment, its history, its architecture, and its perception by early travelers. Some of the photographs in the exhibition are over a century old and reveal the conditions within the monastery complex that have changed significantly over time. The photographs in the exhibition are preserved in the Research Photograph Collection of the Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University.

This exhibition was conceived in conjunction with a graduate seminar entitled “Juncture of Heaven and Earth: The Monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai” taught by Slobodan Ćurčić, spring 2006. Organized and designed by Slobodan Ćurčić and Shari Kenfield. Text and labels by Slobodan Ćurčić.

Stone steps leading to the peak of Mt. Sinai (Jebel Musa) Villagers climb down the 3,750 “steps of penitence” that descend from the “Arch of St. Stephen,” a sixth-century symbolic gate that leads to the sacred area on the peak of Mt. Sinai. The hermitage of Prophet Elijah is in the vicinity.

A monk ringing a small bell

Mt. Sinai Peninsula. Illumination from a late medieval Georgian manuscript (Tbilisi, Georgian Academy of Sciences, Psalter H-182, f. 227) The Monastery of St. Catherine is shown in the upper left, at the foot of Mt. Sinai (Jebel Musa). Brightly colored Bedouin tents sit between the mountains and the Gulf of Suez. The city of Cairo, on the bank of the river Nile, is seen in the foreground.

Mt. Sinai with adjacent regions. A 1483 woodcut map by Erhard Reuwich. The Monastery of St. Catherine, surrounded by the mountains, is visible in the upper left corner of this detailed map. The most prominent peak is Mt. Sinai, actually Mt. St. Catherine, the legendary locus of her tomb. To the right is the Gulf of Suez, and in the distant center the town of Mecca “in which is the tomb of Mohammed.” The river Nile is shown running diagonally from the upper right to the lower left. On the left bank of the Nile (our right) are the Pyramids, labeled “tombs of Egyptian kings”; on the right bank (our left) is the city of Cairo, labeled “Chayru.” The city of Alexandria is visible in the lower right corner.

“Depiction of Mount Sinai on which our Lord gave his law to Moses” (A 1547 woodcut, published in Pierre Belon, Les Observations de plusieurs singularitez & choses memorables, trouvées en Grece, Asie, Judée, Egypte, Arabie, & autres pays estranges…, Paris, 1554) This woodcut is one of the most detailed early views of the Monastery of St. Catherine and its environs. The church and the mosque (their positions are reversed) are visible within the fortified walls of the monastery. The garden and the cemetery are shown in the immediate vicinity. Directly above the monastery is Mt. Horeb (Jebel Sufsafa), conflated with Mt. Sinai (Jebel Musa), and the chapel (identified as St. Catherine) perched on the apex. The steep path leading from the gate of the Monastery of St. Catherine to the top of the mountain passes through an arch in the vicinity of the hermitage of St. Elijah (Prophet Elijah). The artist has accurately depicted the peak of Mt. Sinai (Mt. St. Catherine), which is the highest in the vicinity of the monastery.

Mt. Sinai – Jebel Musa The tiny chapel, located on the left peak of the Jebel Musa massif, marks the spot where Moses supposedly received the Tablets of the Law.

Kurt Weitzmann (1904-1993) Professor of Art and Archaeology at Princeton University, 1945-1972

Kurt Weitzmann with the Bedouin Musa (late 1950s) The photograph was taken during one of the first Princeton-Michigan expeditions to Mt. Sinai. It should be noted that the name Musa means Moses in Arabic, an association charged with special meaning on Mt. Sinai.

The Monastery of St. Catherine with gardens The monastery is set in spectacular natural landscape at the foot of Mt. Sinai, which is also known as “Jebel Musa” (Mt. Moses).

The Monastery of St. Catherine from the southeast This dramatic view of the monastery is set against the Plain of El-Raha, where, according to the biblical tradition, the Israelites had their camp.

Remains of a settlement in the vicinity of the Monastery of St. Catherine Lying in the valley several hundred meters west of the monastery, this settlement consisted of at least two rectangular courtyards with rooms organized around the central open spaces. Beyond these large structures are smaller, more irregularly planned residential buildings with narrow streets and passageways.

The western enclosure wall of the monastery with the monastery gate The small gate, which now serves as the entrance to the monastery, is located to the left of the original gate. The gate, now blocked, is identifiable by three apotropaic discs on the lintel. The corbelled projection (machicolation) above the gate has an opening in the floor through which a potential invader could be assaulted from above.

Detail of the south monastery enclosure wall The three shrine-like frames with large crosses are strategically placed above three slit openings in the wall that correspond to a cryptlike space in the wall. Their function is predominantly apotropaic, protecting the openings from evil forces.

The eastern stretch of the monastery enclosure walls Originally built in the reign of Emperor Justinian I (527-65), the walls were repeatedly repaired during the long history of the monastery. This view shows several such repairs which were intended to reinforce the walls.

The main church of the monastery seen from the east The church is one of the best-preserved buildings from the sixth century. Its apse is shown here in the mid-foreground, flanked by two domed chapels. The shed roof between the two chapels covers another more recent chapel that encloses the original small garden where the Burning Bush once stood.

The monastery lift Probably functioning as it originally did, the lift provides the only means for bringing large objects, materials, and other supplies into the monastery. The photographs illustrate the lift on the exterior north wall, as well as its operation.

Interior view of the monastery A view of an interior “street.” To the left is the lateral door leading into the church narthex; to the right is the so-called Well of Moses.

Interior view of the monastery; living quarters of the monks Besides the church building, only a few remnants of other structures of the sixth-century monastery have been preserved within the enclosure walls. Most of the extant buildings are of a considerably later date, reflecting the fact that the monastery continued to function without interruptions over the centuries, changing its appearance over time.

The monastery church seen from the west This photograph was taken in the 1960s by the Princeton-Michigan expedition. Although taken from the same vantage point as the 1868-69 photograph (see previous photo), the 1960s photograph shows the church belfry (constructed in 1871) in place.

The monastery church seen from the west This photograph was taken in 1868-69 by J. McDonald, Color Sergeant in the Royal Engineers. The monks stand atop the roof of the mosque; the minaret is visible on the left side of the photograph. The church is shown without its belfry, which was not constructed until 1871.

Wooden roof beams from the church of St. Catherine The monastery church has a fully-preserved sixth-century wooden roof supported by wooden trusses. The wood was probably imported from Egypt. The beams of the church are decorated in high relief, evocative of Early Christian Egyptian woodcarvings. The Nilotic landscapes, animals, and plants seen on these beams were also used in Egyptian decorative woodcarving.