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The Monastery Museum

The Museum at the Monastery of St. Catherine's, which houses the icons and manuscripts of the Monastery.

Items in this Tour

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Miracles of Saint Eustratius One of the earliest specimens of a templon architrave, including a depiction …

Manuscripts and Crosses

Euchologion The tenth century manuscript is Slavic. It is written in the Glagolitic …

Manuscripts and Crosses

Cross with pierced inscription This cross is most probably part of a group of lights from …

Illuminated Manuscripts and Printed Books

St. John the Evangelist dictates his Gospel to Prochoros From the Palaeologan era (thirteenth century) the elderly Evangelist is portrayed seated, …

Illuminated Manuscripts and Printed Books

Four Gospels This book contains the Gospels of Mark, Luke, and John (the ending …

Illuminated Manuscripts and Printed Books

Christian Topography by Cosmas Indicopleustes The text was originally composed between the years 547 and 549 in …

Illuminated Manuscripts and Printed Books

The Book of Job with commentary and Pre-theory by Olympiothodoros Out of the numerous illuminated manuscript copies of the Book of Job …

Illuminated Manuscripts and Printed Books

John Chrysostom Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew The importance of this luxurious codex lies in the imperial portraits of …

Illuminated Manuscripts and Printed Books

Lectionary This codex contains the Gospel passages that are read in church, and …

Illuminated Manuscripts and Printed Books

Gregory of Nazianzus “Liturgical” Homilies This manuscript contains the new tenth century edition of the Homilies of …

Illuminated Manuscripts and Printed Books

The Heavenly Ladder by John of Sinai (Climacus) This is the oldest surviving Greek manuscript of the Ladder. Until recently …

Illuminated Manuscripts and Printed Books

The Heavenly Ladder by John of Sinai (Climacus) The Heavenly Ladder was most probably written by John Climacus around the …

Illuminated Manuscripts and Printed Books

The Heavenly Ladder by John of Sinai (Climacus) The texts are written in the elegant Naskh calligraphic style, while the …

Illuminated Manuscripts and Printed Books

Saint John of Sinai (Climacus) This icon depicts the great Sinai recluse, also metaphorically called the pride …

Illuminated Manuscripts and Printed Books

Acts and Epistles This is an illuminated manuscript written in minuscule script, and ornamental initials …

Illuminated Manuscripts and Printed Books

Τhe Liturgy of the Presanctified A large number of scrolls were among the New Finds. Scrolls are …

Illuminated Manuscripts and Printed Books

Homer This printed edition was a major literary event. It contains the Iliad …

Illuminated Manuscripts and Printed Books

Etymologicum Μagnum This is an edition of great importance both in terms of presentation …

Illuminated Manuscripts and Printed Books

Platonis Opera Omnia This is one of the most remarkable works published by the great …

Illuminated Manuscripts and Printed Books

Saint John Chrysostom Complete Works This first, monumental edition of all eight volumes of the Complete Works …

Ottoman Documents

Berat of Sultan Mahmud I A berat or nesan (“edict” or privilege title) issued for the Monastery …

Ottoman Documents

Ewer (aquamanile) Despite theological objections, animals constituted a major part of Islamic art iconography; …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Reliquary-enkolpion cross Reliquary holders decorated with scenes from the Christological cycle, as a reference …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Enkolpion with bust of Christ between apostles and angels Glass casting cameos, used as substitutes for precious stones, were mass-produced items …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Steatite enkolpion with the Crucifixion (front) and the Virgin and Christ Child … Steatite is a soft stone that was used during the middle Byzantine …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Chalice, gift of King Charles VI of France This luxurious chalice was a gift to Sinai by King Charles VI …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Church shaped casket, offering of Georgios, Bishop of Radauți (Moldavia) When the deacon is censing the church, he usually holds an empty …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Benediction and Exaltation cross The populated scenes of the Dodecaorton, six on each face, the Tree …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Casket with engraved figures This casket in the shape of a basilica could well be the …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Mitre, offering of the Christians of Ioannina city This elaborate miter, in the shape of a Papal tiara, is reminiscent …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

High-priest enkolpion of bishop Theophanes It was customary for high-ranking priests to dedicate their best vestments and …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Sanctification cross The carved wooden core is decorated with the scenes of the Baptism …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Sanctification cross with clock This cross was a precious personal possession of Abbot Ioasaf that conceals …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Triptych with reliquary - enkolpion This small, silver-gilt triptych with angels engraved on the side panels contains …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Mitre, offering of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovič Lavish vestments adorned with plates of gold and pearls, intended for the …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Artoklasia for the blessing of the loaves The Artoklasia is a service held at the end of Vespers on …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Saint Catherine with scenes of her life and honor Saint Catherine is depicted accompanied by angels holding up her halo. The …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Prophet Elijah and Sinaitic Saints John Climacus and Anastasios of Sinai The three small icons incorporated onto the tripartite crown of the wood-carved …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Lectionary cover A silver sheet with religious scenes is symmetrically attached onto the rust …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Lectionary case This silver-gilt case from Georgia was the offering of Priest-monk Joachim Skordillis …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Lectionary cover A number of narrative scenes from Sinai tradition adorn the back-side of …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Gospel cover The story of this decorative cover is narrated in a memento on …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Gospel cover This gospel was an offering of Matei Basarab, Prince of Wallachia and …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

The Holy Bush On the upper part we find a depiction of God in the …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

The Holy Bush The Mother of God as Burning Bush with a winged Christ Child …

Modern History

Decree of Napoleon Βonaparte assuring the privileges of the Monastery οf Sinai During his stay in Egypt (July 24, 1798, to February 1, 1799), …

Modern History

Early photographs of the Monastery of Sinai by the Wilson and Palmer … These two are among the oldest photographs of the Monastery, taken by …

Modern History

View of the Monastery of Sinai from the northeast This is a general view of the building complex of the Mount …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Christ Pantokrator Christ stands in front of an apse, beyond which the distant sky …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Apostle Peter A Constantinopolitan work of art, and one of the earliest depictions of …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

The Ladder of Divine Ascent Saint John of the Ladder, one of the greatest figures of Orthodox …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Mother of God seated between saints Theodoros and George The Mother of God, holding the Divine Infant on her knees, is …

Manuscripts and Crosses

Basket for the storage of scrolls This basket is made of vertical, wooden battens around which thin strips …

Ottoman Documents

Copy of the translation from Arabic in Turkish of the Αhdname that … The monks of Mount Sinai Monastery requested a copy of the “decree” …

Ottoman Documents

Copy of Ahdname that Mohamed, Prophet of Islam, granted to the monks … This is a copy of the decree (Ahdname) that Mohamed, Prophet of …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Panel showing Christ in Glory This item consists of a rectangular copper plate that is nailed onto …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Panagiarion The Panagiarion is a vessel where the bread that is blessed in …

Small hanging oil-lamp, with figurative and floral decoration This hanging oil lamp was an offering to Sinai by Marouda, the …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Church shaped censer, offering of Roxandra Lăpuşneanu This censer is decorated with architectural forms which were preferred by Gothic …

Ecclesiastical Metalwork, Miniature, Printed Icons

Chalice with embossed figures Form, iconography and style all indicate that this forceful work of art …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Crucifixion Christ is suspended on the cross, between the two brigands, dressed in …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Scene from the story of king Abgar, and full-body saints This icon contains the oldest depiction of the story of Abgar, king …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Christ on throne Christ is identified as Emmanuel, the Word of God incarnate, according to …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Ascension The composition of this icon contains some unusual elements; even though Christ …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Moses before the Burning Bush Moses is untying his sandal in front of the Burning Bush. On …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Moses receiving the Law This scene is among the favorite themes of the iconography of Sinai. …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Saint Nicholas with other saints Saint Nicholas, one of the most favorite saints of the Orthodox Church, …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Nativity The icon depicts the adoration of the shepherds and the bathing of …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Miracle at Chonai The miracle at Chonai is celebrated on September sixth, the feast day …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Annunciation The composition highlights the Incarnation, focusing on the Holy Spirit descending “in …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Crucifixion with saints Christ on the cross is portayed naked here, except for the translucent …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Mother of God and Child This Virgin is a variation on the more frequent type of the …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Mother of God and Child, or “Kykkotissa” with Christ in Glory, prophets … The child is trying to regain its balance and grasps onto the …

Byzantine Icons – Theotokos (Mother of God)

The Mother of God of the Bush among four monastic saints of … This is a unique work of art with respect to the history …

Byzantine Icons – Theotokos (Mother of God)

The Mother of God of the Bush among John the Baptist and … The icon belongs to the co-called “Crusader” group of icons, and its …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Menologion icon for the whole year Feast days of saints are listed in the church calendar that commences …

Byzantine Icons – Theotokos (Mother of God)

The Mother of God Hodegetria The Mother of God in her iconographic depiction of Hodegetria holds Christ …

Byzantine Icons – Theotokos (Mother of God)

The Mother of God of Blachernae among Moses and Jerusalem Patriarch Euthymius … The Mother of God in her iconographic depiction of Blachernitissa (of Blachernae) …

Byzantine Icons – Theotokos (Mother of God)

Saint Catherine, the Virgin of the Bush, and Moses The three emblematic figures of Sinai iconography are artfully arranged in this …

Nativity and early life of Jesus Christ The icon, initially a triptych panel, is a Constantinopolitan work of art …

Byzantine Icons – Theotokos (Mother of God)

Archangel Michael, Mother of God, Christ, and Archangel Gabriel Icons associated with worship, such as the icons of the Great Deesis …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

The Twelve Great Feasts The entire Twelve Great Feasts that usually adorn a templon have been …

Byzantine Icons – Theotokos (Mother of God)

Saint John the Baptist This icon must have been part of a Deesis, together with two …

Byzantine Icons – Theotokos (Mother of God)

Annunciation The central door of the Holy Bema, called the Beautiful Gate in …

Byzantine Icons – Theotokos (Mother of God)

The Mother of God, the Bush and prophet Isaiah Prophet Isaiah on the left reverences the Mother of God depicted in …

Byzantine Icons – Theotokos (Mother of God)

Crucifixion Double-sided icons are usually intended to be used in religious processions (litanies). …

Byzantine Icons – Theotokos (Mother of God)

Resurrection This icon belongs to the so-called “Crusader” icons that combine both Byzantine …

Liturgical Life and Gold Embroidery

Pastoral staff The bishop’s staff, the miter, and the encolpion, are symbols of the …

Liturgical Life and Gold Embroidery

Epitrachelion of the priest- monk Matthew with scenes from the Christological cycle The royal (Tyrian) purple dyed background fabric is not completely covered in …

Liturgical Life and Gold Embroidery

Buckle Perforated floral ornaments of various sizes are arranged on a gold-leaf covered …

Liturgical Life and Gold Embroidery

Pair of epimanika with the Annunciation Each of the two figures of the Annunciation scene is portrayed standing …

Liturgical Life and Gold Embroidery

Μonastic miter of Nikephoros Marthalis, Archbishop of Sinai The miter rim is decorated with the figures of Christ the Great …

Liturgical Life and Gold Embroidery

Sakkos of Cyril, Archbishop of Sinai The front side depicts Christ as the Vine, blessed by the Ancient …

Liturgical Life and Gold Embroidery

Double-sided encolpion-panagiarion This encolpion is representative of a large group of eighteenth century, double-sided …

Liturgical Life and Gold Embroidery

Epigonation, offering of Cyril, Archbishop of Sinai The epigonation is embroidered on red silk fabric using expensive materials: gold …

Liturgical Life and Gold Embroidery

Orarion of Nikephoros Marthalis, Archbishop of Sinai A continuous band of cherry-satin silk, with a decorative cross on the …

Liturgical Life and Gold Embroidery

Pastoral staff of Athanasios the Abbot of the Monastery The technique of painted enamels was perfected in France during the first …

Liturgical Life and Gold Embroidery

Saint Basil the Great The three-quarters view, whole-body image of Saint Basil turned towards the right …

Liturgical Life and Gold Embroidery

Saint Anthony Saint Anthony is portrayed facing forward, with his right hand resting on …

Liturgical Life and Gold Embroidery

Great Deesis The top row depicts Christ with the Mother of God, John the …

Byzantine Icons – Prophet Moses

Moses and Aaron This icon of Sinai depicts Moses on the left, and his brother …

Saint Catherine

Saint Catherine Veneration of Saint Catherine of Sinai was quite widespread in the West. …

Saint Catherine

Saints Catherine and Marina This is possibly the oldest depiction of Saint Catherine preserved in Sinai. …

Saint Catherine

Christ as High Archpriest with Saints John Chrysostom and Basil The central composition is based on the Deesis scene. The two priests …

Saint Catherine

Sinai and its holy sites by Iakovos Moskos This icon largely follows upon the iconography found in printed icons, depicting …

Saint Catherine

Pair of candlesticks This particular type of candlestick, an Italian Renaissance artwork, was quite popular …

Saint Catherine

Εpitaphios of Saint Catherine This epitaphios (cloth icon) is embroidered on salmon-colored brocade fabric, and bears …

Saint Catherine

Medieval reliquary of Saint Catherine This is the oldest reliquary of Saint Catherine preserved in Sinai, and …

Saint Catherine

Saint Catherine The Saint of Sinai is depicted holding a cross in her right …

Manuscripts and Crosses

Door reused in the Library by Archbishop Nikephoros Marthalis The door probably originates from Cairo and can be dated to the …

Manuscripts and Crosses

Cross with verse from Exodus and scenes of the delivery of the … An inscription of Exodus verses dominates this monumental cross; at the same …

Manuscripts and Crosses

Codex Sinaiticus The Codex Sinaiticus was written in the mid-fourth century in Biblical majuscule …

Manuscripts and Crosses

Letter/Affidavit by K. Tischendorf on September 16th / 28th 1859 promising to … On September 16th 1859, the eminent German Biblical Theologist K. Tischendorf, under …

Manuscripts and Crosses

Inscribed cross with Christ and the Mother of God Medium sized metal cross, with a small protrusion on their bottom that …

Manuscripts and Crosses

Codex Sinaiticus Syrus, or Codex Syriacus 30 The first writing of the codex was executed in the early fifth …

Manuscripts and Crosses

Canonarion - Anthology of Prayers This Canonarion contains Supplicatory and other Canons to the Holy Trinity, Jesus …

Manuscripts and Crosses

Four Gospels (part II) This manuscript contains the “Gospel according to Luke” chapter 12, verses 2 …

Manuscripts and Crosses

Psalms A psalter that had been the only manuscript written in Latin in …

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