An Egyptian court ruling has placed the world's oldest functioning Christian monastery at risk of closure, prompting urgent diplomatic exchanges between Greece and Egypt. Saint Catherine's Monastery in Sinai, a Byzantine treasure dating back to the 6th century, now faces the potential confiscation of its property by the Egyptian state and the eviction of its monks.
According to reports from the Greek media, "the ownership of the Monastery and all its assets now passes to the Egyptian state," with monks "called to abandon specific properties where they are no longer allowed access, remaining in the Monastery for their religious needs only as long as permitted by the owner, namely the Egyptian state." The ruling, issued yesterday, potentially paves the way for converting this historic site into a museum.
Greek Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lana Zochiou addressed the situation, stating: "The governments of Greece and Egypt have been working systematically recently toward an agreement that will safeguard the sacred Greek Orthodox character of the area. We are awaiting the official court decision issued yesterday."
Zochiou emphasized that "The Greek Foreign Minister immediately contacted his Egyptian counterpart and made it clear that there is no margin to deviate from the mutual understanding between the two sides, which the leaders of both countries expressed during the recent Supreme Cooperation Council in Athens."
Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis reinforced this position, declaring that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis "remains committed to the pledge he received publicly and privately from the Egyptian President during the Supreme Cooperation Council of the two countries in Athens regarding the preservation of the Greek Orthodox worship character of the Monastery, and expects the immediate signing of the relevant agreement as formulated between the parties."
Marinakis added, "When the official and complete content of the court decision becomes known and evaluated, there will be an official statement. From the Greek side, we do not expect any differentiation from what has been agreed."
The situation has also drawn a strong response from Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church Ieronymos, who issued a statement expressing "immense sorrow and reasonable anger," calling on "every Greek and international authority to understand the supreme stake and to immediately come to the protection of the fundamental religious freedoms of the Holy Monastery of Sinai." The Archbishop condemned "unequivocally any attempt to change the status quo that has been in force in the area for 15 centuries" and appealed to the Greek government and personally to Prime Minister Mitsotakis "to take immediate action to restore normal and legal order."
Saint Catherine's Monastery represents an extraordinary repository of Byzantine heritage. Founded by Emperor Justinian (r. 527-565 AD), it houses priceless spiritual and cultural treasures, including rare mosaics, Byzantine icons that survived the Iconoclasm period, gold-embroidered vestments, and countless other invaluable relics of the Byzantine world.
The monastery's significance extends beyond its religious importance. Its main church preserves the original wooden beams from the 6th century with inscriptions indicating that Emperor Justinian built the temple in memory of his recently deceased wife, Theodora. The sanctuary also contains one of the most essential mosaics from Justinian's era, depicting the Transfiguration of Christ.
What makes the Sinaitic icons uniquely valuable is that nowhere else in the world are there surviving examples from all eras and artistic trends from the 6th century to the present day. Thanks to this unbroken continuity, art historians document the evolution of Byzantine painting primarily through the Sinaitic collection.
Photo: Kathimerini