Secrets of the bramble tree in St. Catherine's Monastery
Secrets of the bramble tree
The Bramble tree is one of the wonders of the plant world that is unique to the Sinai Peninsula, and which still dazzles all visitors to Saint Catherine's Monastery from different nationalities, as they feel a sanctity that overwhelms everyone who approaches it, as it is the only one of its kind in the world. "It does not grow anywhere, and all attempts to plant it in any other soil have failed.
The bramble tree in Saint Catherine’s Monastery is the holy tree where the Prophet Moses saw fire, when he saw a branch of the tree burning and the fire growing while the branch became greener, so the fire did not burn the greenery, nor did the moisture and water of the greenery extinguish the fire, and then he heard the voice of “God” Almighty.
The text of the Holy Qur’an refers to the climatic characteristics of the area in which the tree is located, indicating that it is very cold, so the Prophet of God, Moses, went hoping for a firewood to light to warm himself. The verses apply to the Saint Catherine area, the coldest area in all of Egypt, as it is about 1,500 meters above sea level.
Archaeological facts confirmed the uniqueness of the tree religiously and climatically, as Empress Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, came in 336 AD to make a pilgrimage to the “Holy Valley” and saw the Holy Tree. She built a small church in its embrace that still exists today, and launched the beginning of pilgrimage trips for all Christians in the world to visit the Holy Tree and Mount Moses in Sinai. The trips to the valley continued and continue until now with the same ancient rituals of ascending the mountain and crossing the gates of confession and forgiveness, then ascending to the top of the mountain and descending to visit Saint Catherine’s Monastery through the old pilgrims’ entrance in the northeastern wall. He added that in the sixth century AD, Emperor Justinian built the most famous monasteries in the world in the valley, which included the Holy Bramble tree.
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