261-302

Observations on the Architecture of St. Catherine's at Mount Sinai (pl. 103-112)

Articles

• Δημακόπουλος, Ιορδάνης Ε.
• ΔΗΜΑΚΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ, Ιορδάνης E.

The northeastern wall and the attached monastic structures lining the inner side of the 6th century fortified enclosure of St Catherine's at Mount Sinai were seriously damaged by the fire of November 30th 1971 (Pis 104α, 106a, β). After clearing off the site the Greek Orthodox monastic community of Mount Sinai decided to rebuild or re-model the edifices which had eventually been pulled down soon after the fire. This led to the discovery (May 1975) of a large number of post-5th century Greek manuscripts which had been burried under the chapel of St George's (PL 110β) presumably some time in the 18th century. The author was among the first to reach St Catherine's after the fire of 1971 and hereby gives a full account of his observations concerning the various modern medieval or even 6th century structures standing in the above "intra muros" area of St Catherine's. This was combined with the author's research in the library as well in the archives of St Catherine's. 1. The sheathed roof of Justinian's church It is very likely indeed that the roof of Justinian's church was initially covered with sheets of lead. This is a conclusion based not only on George H. Forsyth's relevant document, i.e. the description of the church given by Thevenot in 1658 (cf. Dumbarton Oaks Papers 22, 1968, 8, fn. 7) but also on an earlier and equally reliable source of information found in the "Viaggio da Venezia a S. Sepolcro al Monte Sinai" by the Franciscan monk Fra Noë Bianco who reached Mount Sinai in 1527. In Bianco's words the church was already "tutta coperta di piombo". In addition to that, the author clearly shows that in 1733 some maintainance work was carried out on the roof of the church. This is deduced from both a relevant inscription found on the exterior of the apse and a memorandum on St Catherine's signed by the archbishop of Sinai Nicephorus Marthales in June 1734 (MS 2233. f. 4r ). The exterior of this sheathed roof during the late 18th century can be traced with accuracy from a picture intended for the decoration of the archbishop's throne into the church. This shows St Catherine's (PI. 11 Iß) and is undoubtedly attributed to the Cretan painter John Cornaros who was invited to Mount Sinai by the archbishop Cyril the Cretan in 1775. 2. The campanile of Justinian's church. Though earlier planned the erection of the three-storied arched campanile of St Catherine's (PL 103β, 106δ) was completed in 1871. The campanile was erected on the top of the north tower flanking the west façade of Justinian's church and is a work of a master mason from the island of Tenos named Jacob Varoutes. This is clearly conclused from the two medallion - like inscriptions on the main façade of the campanile. On the other hand, the somewhat italianated style of the campanile derives from an earlier example of belfry established by travelling companies of Tenian masons in several Greek territories, particularly the islands and sea-ports of the Aegean: Tenos, Syros, Hydra (campanile of the cathedral, dated in 1806), Nauplia etc. from the late 18th and early 19th centuries onward. 3. The well of Moses and the attached fountain-house. Opposite to the west end of the north external wall of Justinian's church there still exists the so-called Moses' well which served as a watering place to the monastic community of St Catherine's (Figs 3, 5). Until 1971 Moses' well was deep in a small room opening to an oblong paved courtyard running across the north side of Justinian's church. Actually, there was no wellcurb. Instead, one could see just a solid wall surrounding the well. The wall was built of stone with a few rectangular openings at various levels and penetrated through the ground and the first floor of a monastic structure attached to the inner side of the north wall. Thus, Moses' well was finally terminated at the level of a paved terrace resting on a beamed roof which covers the first floor of the above two-storied structure which was entirely destroyed by the fire of 1971. On the contrary, one can still see untouched a fountain-house composing the front of Moses' well toward the courtyard and Justinian's church. This appears in the form of a shallow and slightly pointed arch of muslim influence (Figs 3, 5 and PI. 105β), a type of fountain equally found inside or outside the enclosure of several monasteries throughout post- byzantine and Turkish-dominated Greece (e.g. Nea Moni, island of Chios). On the other hand, Callinicus the monk who compiled a description of St Catherine's in 1709 refers to Moses' well only (MS 1579, f. 92v ). It is thus concluded that St Catherine's fountain attached to Moses well was not erected earlier than the 18th century. 4. A 6th century arcade behind Moses' well. —Next to the room housing Moses' well one could find another chamber occupying the eastern and of the above two-storied building. Access to this was provided from the paved courtyard while light came in through a window on the other external wall (Figs 2, 5, 6). Of the four inner sides the one parallel to the external wall looking towards Justinian's church appeared to be the most interesting. This was formed by a solid wall of rubble masonry and horizontal timber ties. The wall was separated from a nearby semicircular arch by a vertical joint (PI. 107a). The arch belongs to a 6th century arcade consisting of five semicircular and almost identical arches supported by six piers of large blocks of stone (Figs 2, 3). The arcade runs toward the northwestern corner of the enclosure of St Catherine's in a distance of 3.02m. to 4.14m from its inner side in an obvious attempt to form a roughly regular, rectangular-shaped space between itself and Justinian's church. It is also important to bear in mind that the keys of these semicircular arches have been placed approximately 1.50m above the level of the paved courtyard. It is thus most likely that the arcade was initially elevated above the level of the ground surrounding the inner side of the north wall. The space between the arcade and Justinian's wall is divided in a number of vaulted or beamed rooms by means of some transversal walls of rubble masonry. Entrance to these is secured through a narrow and beamed corridor lining the arcade just behind Moses' well. The eastern arch of the arcade gives to two rooms formed by means of a solid wall of rubble masonry dividing the semicircular arch in two halves, while the external surface of the arch was plastered (PI. 107a). One of these chambers is covered with a pointed vault while the next is barrel-vaulted. Lastly, the first and the last chambers bear round-headed niches cut on the inner side of Justinian's wall (Figs 3, 4, 7). Those placed close to the northwestern corner of Justinian's enceinte compose a series of three identical round-headed niches projecting from the wall surface (Figs 3, 4, 7). There is enough evidence that at least one of the niches served as a fire-place to heat the corner chamber some time after their construction in the 6th century. From all this one is inclined to believe that a possibly two-storied structure with an arched ground floor was lining the inner side of the north external wall of St Catherine's in the 6th century. Between Justinian's church and this linear structure there was an open air space, a sort of paved courtyard, which surrounded from all sides Moses' well. Later on, most likely long after the western penetration in the area, the ground floor gave room to a range of vaulted warehouses for cereals while on the first floor one could see a number of rooms equally attached to the inner side of the north wall. These had pointed niches cut on Justinian's wall (Fig. 2 and PI. 108a) and were possibly intended for the Latin clergy, as referred by Païsius, archbishop of Rhodes in 1629 (MS 534, p. 26). Finally, another two-storied structure built of clay elevated in front of the previous one, thus encircling Moses' well. This could have happened together with the erection of a fountain-house in front of the well, some time in the 18th century. 5. The north wall of St Catherine's. A remarkable feature found on the level of the paved terrace (Fig. 2, and Pis 103β, 105α, 106α - β) covering the above two-storied structure was a large opening on the external side of the north wall. This was called "Duvara" and was accompanied by an elevator functioning with the aid of the Arab servants of St Catherine's. Duvara has been justly connected with the history of St Catherine's particularly during troubled periods and it was again from Duvara that the monks of St Catherine's had to feed the nomads of the nearby desert in order to maintain peace with them (MS 534, p. 27). By the time, Duvara became almost emblematic for St Catherine's. It appears in numerous presentations of St Catherine's among which one counts two paintings by Greco and a series of woodcuts and copper-plates edited by the monastic community to appeal to the christians of the Orthodox countries from the late 17th century onward (PI. 112a). A flight of steps placed close to Duvara led to a long and beamed passage running across the chapel of St George's. This linked Duvara with the northeastern corner of the wall. It is important to notice that the external side of the passage was actually formed by the crenellated top of Justinian's wall (Fig. 2 and PI. HOß). All this is clearly described by Nectarius Patriarch of Jerusalem in late 17th century (Abridged History, Venice 1677, 162). It is also most likely that a beamed passage placed at the top of Justinian's wall ran along the entire enceinte of St Catherine's as early as the 17th century. In regarding the external side of the north wall one realizes the quite large scale of reparation works executed on it at different periods (Pis. 103a, 104β, 105a, 106γ). Indeed, the first reparation scheme lasted from 16 February until 5 June 1801. A relèvent document signed by the archbishop Constantius 2nd in 1806 (MS 2197, f. 157r - 157v, see appendice) refers to the work done on the lower parts of the north wall in 1801. The author begins his story about a December night of 1798 when an unsually strong storm brought, a large part of the north wall to ruins. After long negotiations with the Emirs of Egypt it was only after the Napoleonic conquest and the inteference of some French army high officers that the community was finally allowed to proceed to some restoration work on the wall with the aid of the French authorities. Labourers, masons as well as building materials were provided from Egypt (PI. 112β). The whole program cost the community the total sum of 31.028 piasters. It is also very likely that in 1801 St George's chapel was erected in the form it preserved until 1971 (Pis 103α, 104β, 106a, β). It is also certain that the ceiling of St George's chapel was decorated in 1804, as shown from a relevant inscription found in the interior of the chapel. Yet, another chapel of St George's pre-existed on the site, as clearly referred by Nectarius in 1677. This was finally built on the top of a tower projecting from the north wall akin to those previously existing at the four corners of Justinian's enceinte as shown from John Cornaros'picture (PI. 111β>. From May 1839 to March 1840 more reparation works were executed on the north wall most likely on the upper zone. Another document i.e. a memorandum compiled by a deacon sent out to Sinai from Jerusalem (MS 2256, f. 2r - 3r ) deals with the program of 1839 - 40. It was now on the area around the northwestern corner that the new reparation scheme was focused. Lastly, a number of chapels and other secondary structures related to the north wall were pulled down during building activities initiated by the monastic community outside the west side of Justinian' wall in 1861 (MSs 101, 202, 216).

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• http://ejournals.epublishing.ekt.gr/index.php/deltion/article/view/4551
• http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/dchae.880