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Christian chapel belfry, St. Catherine i.e., Monastery of St. Catherine, Sinai

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Christian chapel belfry, St. Catherine i.e., Monastery of St. Catherine, Sinai

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Summary

Title from negative sleeve.
Taken either by the American Colony Photo Department or its successor, the Matson Photo Service.
Guide card: Sinai.
Photograph taken from the buildings overlooking the middle alley of the monastery, looking north and showing the monastery's bell tower and part of the western facade of the basilica in the foreground and Gebel El Dier (Selib-Baraka) in the background. (A. Shams, Sinai Peninsula Research, 2018)
Saint Catherine Monastery was constructed between 530 and 545 CE by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (527-565 CE). The roof of the basilica consists of two layers of wooden beams made of cypress or pine. Justinian's roof of 6th century CE was made out of eight wooden beams, and another layer was added in 18th century CE. Several inscriptions were found on Justinian's wooden beams from 6th century (547-565 CE). The monastery's bell tower was built by monk Gregory the keeper of the holy vessels in 1871 CE next to the 6th century CE basilica. It is one of the newest structures in the monastery and is equipped by a group of 12 metal bells and 1 wooden bell which were given to the monastery as gifts by the Tsars of Russia. The wooden bell is used for the afternoon and dawn prayers and the rest of the bells are used on Sundays and feasts. (A. Shams, Sinai Peninsula Research, 2018)
Gift; Episcopal Home; 1978.

The G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection is a source of historical images of the Middle East. The majority of the images depict Palestine (present-day Israel and the West Bank) from 1898 to 1946. Most of the Library of Congress collection consists of over 23,000 glass and film photographic negatives and transparencies created by the American Colony Photo Department and its successor firm, the Matson Photo Service. The American Colony Photo Department in Jerusalem was one of several photo services operating in the Middle East before 1900. Catering primarily to the tourist trade, the American Colony and its competitors photographed holy sites, often including costumed actors recreating Biblical scenes. The firm’s photographers were residents of Palestine with knowledge of the land and people that gave them an advantage and made their coverage intimate and comprehensive. They documented Middle East culture, history, and political events from before World War I through the collapse of Ottoman rule, the British Mandate period, World War II, and the emergence of the State of Israel. The Matson Collection also includes images of people and locations in present-day Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and Turkey. Additionally, the firm produced photographs from an East African trip. The collection came to the Library of Congress between 1966 and 1981, through a series of gifts made by Eric Matson and his beneficiary, the Home for the Aged of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Diocese of Los Angeles (now called the Kensington Episcopal Home).

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Date

01/01/1898
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Location

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Source

Library of Congress
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