St Catherine's Monastery

1,570 m above sea level

In the Bible

Moses, shepherding Jethro's flock at Horeb, saw a bush ablaze yet not consumed; God called to him: take off your sandals, for the place where you stand is holy ground.

Exod 3:1–6Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from within a bush. Moses saw the bush ablaze with fire, but it was not consumed. So Moses thought, “I must go over and see this marvelous sight. Why is the bush not burning up?” When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from within the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered. “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Tradition

By tradition, the Chapel of the Burning Bush stands where God spoke to Moses, and pilgrims take off their shoes before it; a well in the monastery is shown as the one where Moses met Jethro's daughters.

Here today

A fortified monastery built under Emperor Justinian in the 6th century, with its basilica, ancient icons and one of the oldest working libraries.

Through the eyes of old pilgrims

It was furthermore necessary to go out at the head of the valley, because there were there many cells of holy men and a church where the Bush is; this bush is alive to the present day, and sends forth shoots.Egeria, c. 381–384

Official site

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Land outlines: Natural Earth (public domain).