Collection of Agia Aikaterini of Sinai, Orthodox religious museum in Heraklion, Greece
The Collection of Agia Aikaterini is a religious museum in Heraklion housed within a former monastic complex building. The display features Byzantine icons, ecclesiastical books, ancient manuscripts, and carved wooden pieces that stem primarily from the Orthodox Christian tradition.
The building was constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries as a Venetian monastery and received Renaissance renovations in 1576. During Ottoman rule, it was repurposed as a mosque.
The church belonged to the Sinai Monastery, and its school made it one of the first centres of learning under Venetian rule. Its pupils included Ioannis Morezenos, Iosaf Doreianos, Ieremias Palladas, Patriarch Meletios Pegas, Cyril Lucaris and Meletios Vlastos. The name comes from Saint Catherine of Sinai, whose monastery owned the church.
The museum sits centrally at Saint Catherine Square and is easy to reach on foot from surrounding streets. Opening hours vary by season, so checking ahead of your visit is helpful.
The collection holds six works by Michael Damaskenos, a 16th-century painter of the Cretan school, alongside icons by Angelos, one of the best-known icon painters of the 15th century. The church that houses them belonged to the Sinai Monastery and its school counted Ioannis Morezenos, Patriarch Meletios Pegas and Cyril Lucaris among its graduates.
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