Church of the Transfiguration, St Catherine's Monastery

The focal point of the monastery is the Church of the Transfiguration, with a bell tower which dominates the whole complex. Its bells waken the monks every morning with 33 strokes, symbolizing the 33 years of Christ's life.The church, the floor of which is some13ft/4m below present ground level, is entered through a modern porch, from which a flight of steps (the top ones inscribed with the Greek letters spelling the Greek name lakobos, or James) leads down to the Narthex, with an elaborately carved wooden door (sixth C.) which gives access to the three aisled interior of the basilica.The walls of the nave, rising above the aisles and lit by windows, are borne on sturdy granite columns with richly decorated foliage capitals. The aisles, with pitched roofs, are lit by five Byzantine windows on each side. The floor is paved with marble. On the left is a marble pulpit (1787), on the right the Bishop's throne, with an interesting painting of the monastery in the 18th C. by an Armenian artist. Between the columns are crudely carved choir stalls. In the aisles are side chapels, mostly dedicated to saints of the Orthodox Church.