The Christ Pantocrator of St. Catherine’s Monastery at Sinai is one of the oldest Eastern Roman religious icons, dating from the 6th century AD. It is the earliest known version of the pantocrator style that still survives today, and is regarded by historians and scholars to be one of the most important and recognizable works in the study of Byzantine art as well as Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
For a time the icon was thought to have been dated from the thirteenth century, since it had been almost completely painted over at that time, but it was concluded in 1962 that it is in fact from the mid-sixth century, although the exact date of production is still unknown. When Saint Catherine’s Monastery was founded by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, late in his reign, between 548 and 565, it enjoyed imperial patronage and donations from Justinian and his court, with the Christ Pantocrator icon having been one of the many possible imperial gifts. Because of this, it is generally believed to have been produced in the Byzantine capital of Constantinople.
