The Order of Saint Catherine with Mount Sinai: A Historical and Academic Account

The Order of Saint Catherine with Mount Sinai is a unique religious and chivalric phenomenon that spans from Byzantine monastic origins to late medieval crusader politics and continues as a modern revival under the House of Lusignan. Rooted in the veneration of Saint Catherine of Alexandria and the monastic traditions of Mount Sinai, the Order has historically functioned at the crossroads of faith, politics, and pilgrimage. Its evolution reflects deep Byzantine and Latin Christian influences, political patronage—especially from the Lusignan dynasty of Cyprus—and contemporary efforts to reframe this tradition as a chivalric order.