Monastery of St Catherine
| Name of structure: | Monastery of St Catherine |
| Extended name of structure: | Church of the Transfiguration |
| Type of structure: | Church |
| Country or main area: | Egypt |
| Region within country or main area: | Sinai |
| City or area within region: | Sinai |
| Date of structure: | 548-65 |
| Century of structure 1: | 6 AD |
| Century of structure 2: | 6 AD |
| Specific place of mosaic: | Church of the Transfiguration: apse and triumphal arch; Chapel of the Burning Bush: apse |
| Brief descriptive contents of mosaic: | Church: Arch: Scene of the Transfiguration with Moses and Elias, roundels of saints and Old Testament prophets. Triumphal arch: archangels, Lamb of God, Virgin and John the Baptist; scenes of Moses and the Burning Bush and of Moses receiving the Law. Chapel apse: Cross on gold background and inscription. |
| Date of mosaic: | Church 6C; Chapel: 10C |
| Century of mosaic 1: | 6 AD |
| Century of mosaic 2: | |
| Silver tessera at site: | Yes |
| Gold tessera at site: | Yes |
| Colour tessera at site: | Yes |
| Were other materials found at site (i.e., glass cakes)? | Unknown |
| Has analysis been done? | Yes |
| Samples taken from where? | Apse (Brill, 1999) |
| Excavation and restoration campaigns: | 1958-65: team from Michigan-Princeton University led by G. Forsyth and K. Weitzmann 2005-9: team from Centro di Conservazione Archeologica led by R. Nardi |
| Bibliography of mainly technical resources: | Nardi R. & Zizola C., La conservazione del mosaico della Trasfigurazione, Monastero di Santa Caterina, Sinai (CCA, Centro di Conservazione Archeologica, Roma, 2006): online at http://www. cca-roma.org/node/26 Brill, R., Chemical analysis of early glasses, 2 vols, (New York: Corning Museum of Glass, 1999), IX P, 254-58. Forsyth, G. H. & Weitzmann, K., The Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai - The Church and Fortress of Justinian: Plates (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1973).
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| Comments: | According to Brill the 'tesserae were collected at the suggestion of Athur A. Houghton, Jr., who visited the monastery in the early 1960s (?). They came from the large apse of the church and were dates by Prof Weitzmann to 6C' (Brill, Chemical analysis, vol 1, 111). You Tube video of Roberto Nardi restoration: 'Monastero di Santa Caterina. Sinai. Conservazione del mosaico della Trasfigurazione' |