In the days when the Pharaohs ruled Egypt, Moses was watching his father-in-law's sheep in the land of Midian. While on Mount Sinai, Moses looked up and saw a bush that was burning, but remained unconsumed by the fire. When he approached the bush to see why the flames didn't harm it, he heard a voice from inside the burning bush call to him, "Moses. Moses." "Here I am," he answered. "Do not come any closer," commanded the voice, "Take your shoes off your feet because the place where you are standing is holy ground. I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob."The ancient Monastery of St. Catherine, located at the base of Mount Sinai, is one of the Orthodox Christian Church's hidden treasuries of prayer, worship, knowledge, icons, relics, manuscripts, and other precious gems. The monastery is a lush spiritual oasis in middle of the desert and in the midst of a dry, barren world. It's a holy place where people still commune with the living God who once appeared to Moses in a burning bush.
You can visit the official website of The Holy Monastery of St. Catherine at Mount Sinai. (The English portion of the site is currently under construction.) TourEgypt.net is a great resource for learning about the Monastery of St. Catherine. Learn about the history, architecture, icons, and other artistic treasures from articles and images on the website. Geographia.com has provided an interactive monastery map. An Orthodoxwiki article on the monastery is also available.
Read about the life of the Great Holy Martyr Catherine of Alexandria at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America website. Another article appears on the site of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Each article displays an icon of St. Catherine.
Copyright © 2006 by Dana S. Kees. The image of St.Catherine's Monastery is from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, Bibleplaces.com. Used by permission.
