Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai: A Photographic Essay (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications) [Hardcover]

Helen C. Evans (Author), Bruce White (Photographer), His Eminence Archbishop Damianos of Sina (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2004 | Series: Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications

The Holy Monastery of St. Catherine, situated among the mountains of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, is the oldest continuously active monastery in the world. Recorded as a Christian pilgrimage site as early as the fourth century, it is located where Moses is thought to have seen the Burning Bush and to have received the Ten Commandments. In the sixth century the great Byzantine Emperor Justinian provided a handsome church and fortifications for the monastery. Later generations of pilgrims added other gifts; there are still frequent pilgrims there today. In this beautiful and informative book, the isolated Monastery and its buildings are presented in many newly commissioned colour images that include the richly decorated sanctuary of the sixth-century church and the world's most outstanding collection of icons. Along with an introduction by His Eminence Archbishop Damianos and an essay on the Monastery by Helen Evans, the book offers powerful photographs of the site, some of which are provided from the Monastery's archives, with the descriptive captions written by the monks of the Monastery.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bruce White is a well-known art photographer who specialises in photographing works of art and monuments; Helen C. Evans is Curator for Early Christian and Byzantine Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300102798
• ISBN-13: 978-0300102796
• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 9.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,110,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars St. Catherine's Monastery , Sinai, March 22, 2006

By 

P. Crane (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai: A Photographic Essay (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications) (Hardcover)

This is an excellent photographic essay on the monastery - a must-have to remind you of an exciting visit or to prompt you into visiting Sinai very soon. Both the photographs and the essay are of first class standard. And of course the author and photographer had access to parts not available to ordinary visitors which makes the book even more valuable. As a constant reminder of a once-in-a-life-time adventure I cannot recommend it enough.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Saint Catherine's Monastery - A Photographic Essay, June 23, 2008

By 

Mithridates VI of Pontus (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai: A Photographic Essay (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications) (Hardcover)

Saint Catherine's Monastery, located at the base of Mount Sinai, Egypt is on the top of the list of amazing places I want to visit - and for good reason. Not only is the monastery one of the oldest continuously inhabited monasteries in the world but also has one of the largest collections of icons in the world. Moses saw the Burning Bush nearby where God told him to return to Egypt and free his people. When Moses returned, he received the Ten Commandments at the peek of Mount Sinai (the exact mountain remains uncertain). Christians began to settle in small hermitages in the region in the 3rd Century in order to be near these important biblical sites. The site became an important pilgrimage location in the 4th century and according to tradition, a small church was built for the monks through a large donation from Saint Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great.

The monastery's massive walls and its church were constructed at the base of Mount Sinai during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian the great (reigned 527-65). Since Muhammad conquered the region in the 7th century, a mosque was built near the church (perhaps to allay Muslim attacks) and an amicable relationship was established between both religions at the important religious site (Muhammad promised the monastery security in 625 and signed the document with his hand since he could not write). The Monastery was named after a 4th century Christian Martyr, Saint Catherine, who was killed (on a wheel - unsuccessfully - then beheaded) after converting some of the pagan scholars of Alexandria. The Monastery's library contains a massive and historically important collection of Byzantine manuscripts, including pages from a 4th Bible thought to be one of the 50 commissioned by Constantine the Great. The monastery also contains thousands of icons - "interestingly - since the monastery was under the control of Muslims the period of the destruction of icons that occurred in the Byzantine empire did not touch the monastery."

This volume contains 11 pages of essay/introduction text and 76 pages of beautiful and stirring photographs. The Introduction covers all ground in a cursory and basic manner - it lacks any real analysis of the monastery's texts or art etc but is a good introduction to the topic. However, the photographs are absolutely stunning - not only are photos of the vast desert landscape, ancient hermit cells, massive walls and the beautiful 6th century church, icons and mosaics, church interiors, celebrations and feasts, included, but even important monastic activities such as bread baking and relations with the local Arabic-Muslim Bedouins. That said, better books exists - in Italian. At my University library I found a great book called "The Treasures of the Monastery of Saint Catherine" translated into English, however, the only version offered on amazon.com is still in the original Italian text. "The Treasures of the Monastery of Saint Catherine" offers MUCH more extensive text and many more photographs and is a much better buy (if you can muddle through the Italian). However, if that particular romance language escapes you then "Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai, Egypt: A Photographic Essay" is definitely worthwhile and will tempt even the most resolute and sedentary heart to travel and gaze with one's own eyes this fabulous place!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars /St. Catherine's Monastery, August 1, 2005

By 

Loretta Hoffmann "Icon lover" (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai: A Photographic Essay (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications) (Hardcover)

This book is a compliment to the catalogue of the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition BYZANTIUM: FAITH AND POWER (1261 - 1667) and especially to the exhibition itself. For lovers of icons this was a must see exhibition and if you were not fortunate enough to see it in person, the catalogue, accompanied by SAINT CATHERINE'S MONASTERY, SINAI, EQYPT: A PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY would more than suffice.