272 THE MOHAMMEDAN PILGRIMAGE. 



century. Helena, the mother of Constantine the 

 first Christian emperor, is said to have erected here 

 a small church to commemorate the spot where the 

 Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush ; and 

 in the garden of the convent a small tower or chapel 

 is still shown, the foundation of which is said to 

 have been laid by her. The piety of the empress was 

 imitated by others, and in course of the next century 

 similar buildings were erected in different parts of 

 the neighbourhood; but the ill treatment which 

 the monks and hermits suffered from the Bedouins 

 induced them to apply to Justinian ; and in compli- 

 ance with their request he built a fortified convent 

 capable of protecting them against their oppressors. 

 Monastic establishments had then become prevalent ; 

 and the generous emperor is said to have assigned 

 the whole peninsula in property to the monks. 



It was not till some years afterwards that it got 

 possession of the corpse and obtained the name of St 

 Catherine, who had suffered martyrdom at Alexan- 

 dria, and was transported thence by angels to the 

 highest peak of the adjacent mountains. Of this mi- 

 racle one of the friars was informed in a vision ; and 

 search being made, the body was found and entombed 

 in the church, which thus acquired an additional 

 claim to the veneration of the Greek Christians. 



At the time of the Saracen conquests the number 

 of priests and hermits belonging to this and other 

 neighbouring establishments is said to have amount- 

 ed to 6000 or 7000. Notwithstanding the continued 

 danger to which they must have been exposed from 

 these bigoted zealots, they contrived to defend their 

 possessions against the attacks of the hostile tribes, 

 not by any military array, but by the more success- 

 ful arms of patience, meekness, and money. Under 



