Monasticism
St. Catherine's Monastery (Sinai)
The oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery in the world, built at the foot of Mount Sinai by Emperor Justinian (6th century). Contains the world's second-largest collection of ancient manuscripts (after the Vatican) including the Codex Sinaiticus. Houses irreplaceable icons surviving Iconoclasm because the monastery was in Muslim-held territory. A UNESCO World Heritage site.
Sources
- Typikon of St. Catherine's Monastery (monastic rule, Sinai) OCA, the services
- St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent (written at Sinai, c. 600 AD) archive.org
- UNESCO World Heritage listing (historical factual reference only)