built by emporer justinian 527-565 AD, st. catherine's is the oldest, christian monastery in the world - or it has been since the allied forces levelled monte cassino outside rome, wrongly assuming it was the key to breaking fascist resistance.
all monasteries were built as fragments of an idealized roman town, and the fortified byzantine monastries reflect the walled cities of late antiquity after the loss of the pax romana.
the church is an east roman basilica, heavy handed in its details but incredible in its preservation. even the woodwork is original, a carved dedication to emporer justinian discovered on one of the roof trusses sometime in the 20th century.
there is a tradition in english gardening that places the maze on a slope, allowing you to read the plan, so to speak, from outside. the monastry is situated just like that, and a short climb gives you a fine sense of the labyrinthine fabric of this ancient and isolated community.
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Tags: sinai architecture arkitektur late roman byzantine justinian saint st catherine monastery convent egypt ægypten ortodoks orthodox fortification byzantium arquitectura Architektur arquitetura Architettura Architectuur building gebäude haus gebouw bouw bygning batiment maison edificio huis casa christian church kirke chiesa eglise kristen seier+seier creative commons CC