Guest House Of St. Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinaï

History

The South Sinai mountain complex, with its granite mountains and arid landscape, consists also of narrow valleys and small oases that are of great religious and historical significance. These sites are associated with the forty year sojourn of the Children of Israel, and with the ascetic struggles of the hermits of Sinai, from the dawn of the monastic movement, to more recent years. The Holy Monastery of Sinai is located at the foot of Mount Horeb, the Mount of the Decalogue. The valley opposite the monastery is the traditional site where the Children of Israel camped. The modern village of Katrine is located here today.

The monastery complex built around the site of the Burning Bush and the Well of Jethro developed across the centuries. The monastery catholicon is surrounded by nine chapels and a bell tower. There are a further twelve chapels within the monastery complex. Adjacent to the Tower of Saint Helen is the residence of the Archbishop and the Chapel of the Life-giving Spring. To the west are accommodations for pilgrims, and to the north are administrative offices. To the east are the old bakery and the refectory, and a range of cells. The south wing, completed in 1951, houses the library, the icon storage room, a seminar room, and other workshops and cells. 

To the west of the fortress of Justinian lie the monastery garden, the cemetery, the ossuary, and other supporting structures. From here, the path begins that leads pilgrims to the peak of Mount Sinai, as well as to the peak of Mount Saint Catherine, and the hermitage of Saints Galakteon and Episteme. The area also contains numerous chapels, gardens, and hermitages.

Food & beverage

The Guest House has a restaurant serving three meals a day and a spacious courtyard with an adjoining snack bar where one can order coffee, tea, soft drinks, and other refreshments.

Grounds & Gardens

The beautiful monastery gardens, shaded by tall cypresses, have their finest show of blossoms in March and April.

The gardens are laid out in terraces, and in addition to the flowers, they produce a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Also outside the walls is the pilgrims' cemetery, and in the crypt of St. Tryphon's Chapel, the charnel house, which is also the place of burial of the monks.

Other facilities

Up to these days, the general site of the Holy Monastery of Sinai maintains its historic way of operation unaltered and it does not constitute an organized tourist site. For the Senate fathers, all visitors are dealt with as pilgrims from whom their respect towards the sanctity of the site, the Sinai pilgrimage sites, and their daily program of prayer is considered a given fact. It is considered wise policy to avoid visiting the Monastery on its official feast days, as it is closed to the general public. As a rule, the Holy Monastery is closed on Fridays, Sundays, as well as during the important feast days of the Greek Orthodox Church. On all the other days, the Holy Monastery is open between 9:00 AM and 11:30 noon.

Within the monastery grounds, visitors may enter the church and the area immediately adjoining the church. Likewise, the visitors’ decorum inhabits and respect towards the site are considered as given. Organized guided tours are not allowed, and recordings are not permitted. The prescribed itinerary within the monastery starts out at the gate situated on the northern wall, from where one is led to a courtyard, the location of Moses’ well, and from thence to the catholicon, and from thence to the Burning Bush and to the sacristy, whence one is led again to the exit.

For the ascent to the holy summit of Mount Sinai, one must reckon on a total number of hours that varies between five and seven. There are two ways to ascend: the historic one (6th century) and the newer ones (19th century), setting out on the north-eastern side of the Holy Monastery. The first one, the Way of the Steps, is sooner but steep and difficult. For most of its length, it consists of steep steps. The second one, the Camel Trail, has an ascending course that is longer but more gradual, hence it can be done on foot. However, for most of its length one can hire one of the camels that can always be found waiting outside the Holy Monastery. After this initial course, one must continue on foot, up the steep steps that lead to the holy summit. Many visitors descend by the Way of the Steps, in order to see the more historic way.

On account of the great altitude of the site, one must take into consideration the great temperature differences between the hours of day and night. Likewise, one ought to be well outfitted for hiking and to be equipped with a sufficient amount of water. A flashlight is necessary during the night march regardless of the fact that the light of the stars in combination with the altitude and the clearness of the atmosphere furnish one with satisfactory visibility.