Details about Saint Catherine's Monastery in Sinai and its relationship with Greece

Saint Catherine's Monastery

 Egypt pledged to preserve it. Details about Saint Catherine's Monastery in Sinai and its relationship with Greece

Over the past two days, Egyptian-Greek relations have witnessed mutual discussions and pledges regarding Saint Catherine's Monastery. The Egyptian presidency announced its full commitment to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of the monastery and not to harm it.

The monastery was established by the Roman Emperor Justinian in 560 AD to commemorate his wife Theodora, who predeceased him. She was his beloved wife, participated in many aspects of government, and was interested in the eastern regions of the Roman Empire, including Egypt.

In an official statement issued Thursday evening, the Egyptian presidency confirmed that the recent court ruling consolidates this status and is consistent with what Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi emphasized during his visit to Greece in early May.

Saint Catherine's Monastery, listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is a major tourist attraction, visited by groups of tourists from all over the world. But what is the history of this monastery and what is Greece's relationship with it?

But what is the history of this monastery, and what is Greece's connection to it?

Antiquities expert Dr. Abdel Rahim Rihan, a member of the History and Antiquities Committee of the Supreme Council of Culture and head of the Campaign to Defend Egyptian Civilization, told Al Arabiya.net and Al Hadath.net that the monastery was established by the Roman Emperor Justinian in 560 AD to commemorate his wife, Theodora, who had died before him. She was his beloved wife, participated in many aspects of his rule, and was interested in the eastern regions of the Roman Empire, including Egypt.

The Egyptian expert adds, "The monastery contains various facilities, including the Church of the Transfiguration, which contains the Church of the Burning Bush, and nine small side churches. It also includes ten subsidiary churches, monks' cells, a service area, a skull exhibition, and the Fatimid Mosque." He explains that "the monastery also includes a library containing 4,500 manuscripts, including 600 in Arabic, in addition to pamphlets, as well as Greek, Ethiopian, Coptic, Armenian, and Syriac manuscripts

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 These manuscripts cover religious, historical, and geographical matters, the oldest of which dates back to the fourth century AD. The library also contains a number of decrees issued by Muslim caliphs to protect the People of the Book." The Egyptian archaeologist continues, saying, "The Church of the Burning Bush inside the monastery is accessed through two doors in the two rooms on either side of the eastern gate of the Church of the Transfiguration.

 It contains a small circular altar erected on marble columns above a marble slab. Inside the monastery is also a bell tower, built by a Sinai monk named Gregory in 1817 AD. It includes nine metal bells donated by the Russian Church in 1817, and an old wooden bell used daily. The metal bells are used on holidays." The Egyptian expert says, "There are several water wells inside the monastery, including the Well of Moses, north of the Church of the Transfiguration.  It is said to be the well from which the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) watered the sheep of the daughters of the righteous man Shu'ayb.

 The Well of the Burning Bush, a deep well lined with stone, is also said to be older than the monastery. The Well of Stephen is southwest of the Church of the Transfiguration and south of the Church of Stephen. Its water is fresh and the monks drink from it today. According to their tradition, it is the well dug by Stephen, the engineer of the monastery, and next to it is a cypress tree. There are also three wells and three springs in the garden outside the monastery walls."

The Ismailia Court of Appeal issued its ruling in the lawsuit filed regarding disputed land parcels in the South Sinai Governorate, ruling that the followers of Saint Catherine's Monastery are entitled to use the monastery and the religious archaeological sites in the Saint Catherine area, with the state owning these sites as public property.

The court ruled that the contracts drawn up between the local unit of Saint Catherine City and the monastery regarding certain plots of land used by the monastery's affiliates must be respected, thus negating any encroachment on these lands. The court concluded that the remaining disputed plots of land are nature reserves, all of which are public state property, and cannot be disposed of or acquired by prescription. No contracts had been issued regarding them by the state authority.

This came after rumors circulated that the monastery was being emptied of its monks in preparation for its sale by the government. These rumors coincided with development efforts in the area surrounding the monastery, raising concerns among some quarters, especially given the historical relationship between the monastery and the Greek Orthodox Church.