The name St. Catherine refers to Catherine of Alexandria the
4th century martyr whose relics are at the monastery. The full name
of the monastery is the Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of St. Catherine of
the Holy and God-Trodden Mount Sinai. It is one of the most sacred sites of scripture,
and throughout the land passing through various political changes (Egyptian, Roman, Ottoman, British, Israeli, etc), the monks of
St. Catherine’s have always been there, praying and maintaining the site.
The monks are known for their ancient icons and for the
world’s oldest continuously operating library, which includes the Codex
Sinaiticus, a 4th-century Greek Bible, and the Syriac Sinaiticus, the oldest
copy of the Gospels in Syriac.
In the 7th century, the Islamic prophet Muhammad granted the monastery a charter, known as the Ashtiname (or Testament) of Muhammad, guaranteeing protection to its inhabitants. According to monastery tradition, Muhammad frequented the site and had a great relationship and deep discussions with the Sinai monks.
