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Show an adjoining fenced yard. The upper floor is a chapel, and underneath it lies the famous Mt. Sinai Ossuary or bone-house. The yard is a limited plot of land devoted to the newly deceased monks. On the death of a member of the fraternity, the brothers dig out the bones of the oldest dead to make room for the new. Then they carry the old bones toiMac Ossuary where they stack the limbs on one side and the 3kulls on another. Bones of Archbishops, however, are kept separately in special niches or wooden caskets. The skeleton of St. Stephanos, who died in 580 A.D,, is made to sit in full priestly vestments as if on guard at the entrance of this "House of the Dead", During his lifetime, he kept watch at the confessional gate halfway up the Moses mountain and often said he wished he could guard it for ever. The monks remembered his words, and in deference to his will, collected his skeleton and seated it where it sits to the present day. The gruesome sight Is mitigated only by the view of lighted candles and the burning censers which fill the atmosphere with incense* within the walls, the Basilica is the central object cf interest and antiquity to which the proud monks take their oilgrims in the first Instance. It was founded by Justinian between 561 and 565 in commemoration of Theodora his wife, and is a fine example of Byzantine ecclesiastical architecture. It consists of a narthex leading to a great nave which is separated from the aisles by two rows of six granite columns with lotus-headed CMMfeBiii unfortunately painted white and green. It: has nine chapels - fotar on each side, and the Chapel of the Burning Bush behind the altar and below ground level, Th© mosaics above the altars Mfjjj** Chapel of the Burning Bush and of the Cathedral, dating from th€MMjfepts of Constantino and Justinian respectively, are almost intaet. In reality, the Cathedral with its side chapels offers a veritable museum of the fine arts of Christian antiquity. ¥ood-carviBg here is at its best. The gate of the narthex, which is not very ancient, being only of eleventh century Fatlmid workmanship, is of consider able interest on account of the crusader arms engraved on itJby medieval pilgrims. But this is incomparable to the next M^MjjiiMMIi^M^rzantine gate of the nave with its wonderful animal and floral engravings. In the sanctuary, behind the iconostasis. there are two large silver chests with the Image of St, Catherine in gold and enamel studded with precious stones. Both are gifts of the Tzars of Russia - Peter the Great (1688) and Alexander II (i860). Still more precious than these objects is a small marble sarcophagus under a domed canopy to the right of the altar. Enclosed within it are two smaller silver cases - the one containing St, Catherine's skull wearing a jewelled gold crown, and the other contains her loft hand with numerous rings of gold and precious stones ex veto. The whole establishment Is a real treasure-trove with its stupendous accumulation of ancient and modern vestments embroidered with gold and silver threads, of jewelled mitres and girdles, chalices and trays of the finest workmanship, gold and silver crosses of varying size«SMM shapes, and Gospels and Prayer-Books with artistically decorated bindings in solid gold and silver, in several cases mounted with precious stones. Perhaps the most bewildering feature is the collection of icons covering the walls of the Cathedral and the nineteen chapels of this Monastery. They are well preserved in the dry heights of Sinai, and their importance may be ascribed to mtuhset ae iarnrtl idisetessdt. ftoiSrmimencs et ht tehtheh rfe oifyuang cechtas m teht,e h fla Mratior dmgtd heleaseylt l ,Aa mrgpoeaesrs tl dsa ror egwopefnrl yetsho es mni ogtBdnyaeeztdrai nvtae nit,dni e amnd edaEst m,mep doit srhbetyy from |