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The Renovated Chapel of Saint Anne

In 2008, the Chapel of Saint Anne was renovated. Mortar on the roof and outside walls that had crumbled was replaced. The plaster inside was patched, and the walls and ceiling whitewashed. A wooden floor was installed over the earlier dirt floor, while retaining the flagstones at the eastern end of the chapel.

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Night Liturgy at Saint Anne’s

In 2008, Father Ioannikios was visiting us from the Monastery of Mar Sabbas, outside Jerusalem. He wanted to join us for the feast of Saint Anne, but at the same time, he needed to return to Jerusalem with pilgrims who were leaving that morning. So we decided to have the Liturgy at night.

We left […]

Sunrise at the Chapel of Saint Anne

The Chapel of Saint Anne is oriented so that, on the feast of Saint Anne, the first rays of the sun enter the tiny east window. As the sun rises into the sky, the chapel and the entire area become suffused with light.

A time lapse video of sunrise at […]

Chapel of Saint Anne

There are several chapels to the west of the Basin of the Prophet Elias. The most remote of them all is the Chapel of Saint Anne, perched incongruously next to massive outcrops of solid granite. It is my favourite of all the little chapels in the Sinai mountains.

I first saw the Chapel of Saint […]

Stairs to the Refectory

Stairs leading to the eleventh century τράπεζα (trapeza), the monastery refectory.

John Lloyd Stephens, from New York, visited the monastery in 1836. He gives us a glimpse of what the refectory was like at that time:

The next day was Sunday, and early in the morning the superior sent for me to come down […]

Another Chapel of the Twelve Apostles

There is also a chapel dedicated to the Twelve Apostles within the Sinai monastery. To the right of the iconostasion is a large icon depicting the apostles. A verse inscription notes that it was transferred from the Sinai dependency in Cairo, and installed in the monastery on July 22, 1761.

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