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TheChurch of Sinai is aGreek Orthodoxautonomous church whose territory consists ofSt. Catherine's Monastery at the foot ofMount Sinai in Egypt, along with several dependencies. There is a dispute as to whether the church is fullyautocephalous or merelyautonomous. The church is headed by theArchbishop of Mount Sinai and Raithu, who is traditionallyconsecrated by theGreek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and also serves asabbot for the monastery. The current hierarch is ArchbishopSymeon VI.
The Church of Sinai owes its existence to the Monastery of the Transfiguration (better known as St. Catherine's Monastery). The monastery's origins are traced back to the Chapel of theBurning Bush thatConstantine the Great's mother,Helena, had built over the site whereMoses is supposed to have seen the burning bush. Between 527 and 565, EmperorJustinian I ordered the monastery built to enclose the chapel. The monastery became associated with St.Catherine of Alexandria through the belief that herrelics were miraculously transported there.
St. Catherine’s monastery, as it has been known since the 9th century, was originally part of thePatriarchate of Jerusalem, within the diocese of Pharan. After the bishop of Pharan was deposed for the heresy ofmonotheletism in AD 681, the see was transferred to the monastery itself, the abbot becoming the bishop of Pharan. With the subsequent union of the diocese of Raitho with the monastery, all the Christians in the Sinai peninsula came under the jurisdiction of the Abbot-Archbishop.
During the period of theCrusades, which was marked by bitterness between the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches, the monastery was patronized by both theByzantine emperors and the rulers of theKingdom of Jerusalem, and their respective courts.
In 1575, theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople granted Mount Sinai autonomous status. This was reaffirmed in 1782. The exact administrative status of the church within theEastern Orthodox Church is ambiguous: by some, including the church itself,[1] it is consideredautocephalous,[2][3] by others anautonomous church under the jurisdiction of theGreek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem.[4] The archbishop is traditionallyconsecrated by theGreek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem; in recent centuries he has usually resided inCairo.
Today, in addition to the 20 or so monks in the monastic community, this church includes a few hundredBedouins and fishermen who live in the Sinai. Since theIsraeli invasion in 1967, perhaps the greatest problem facing the community has been maintaining an authentic monastic lifestyle while dealing with a massive influx of tourists. This problem has continued after the area’s return to Egypt in 1982, and the population of the area has been increasing.Pope John Paul II visited the monastery on February 26, 2000.[5][full citation needed]
The monastery’s library is renowned for its great antiquity and itsmanuscripts. In 1859,Constantin von Tischendorf removed theCodex Sinaiticus from here. Today, it contains about 4,000 manuscripts, and some of the world’s most ancienticons are also found in the monastery. The monastery was already outside theEastern Roman Empire during the period ofByzantine Iconoclasm, when many icons in the empire were destroyed.
The monastery and library have a guest house and ahospital for the local population. The monks have also administered a school inCairo since 1860. The monastery has historically had many dependent churches and monasteries in other countries. In 2006, there were: monasteries in Cairo, where the abbot often resides, andAlexandria, as well as nine inGreece, three inCyprus, one inLebanon and one inIstanbul.
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