Order of Saint Catherine of Mount Sinai,
Order of Saint Catherine of Mount Sinai.
Dynastic order of the Lusignan family,
titular kings of the kingdoms of Jerusalem, Cyprus and Armenia.
The Order of Saint Catherine of Mount Sinai, a dynastic order of the Lusignan family, has existed since the 12th century.
The original task of the Order was to care for travelers going to Mount Sinai, where the coffin containing the ashes of Saint Catherine of Alexandria (the Great Martyr Saint Catherine) was located.
Believers traveled to this tomb, from far and wide, and to protect the pilgrims, a group of knights gathered.

They promised to accompany the pilgrims to the remains of Saint Catherine and to obey their leader – the head of the Order from the royal family of Lusignan – unconditionally.
Only those who had visited the tomb of Saint Catherine were admitted to the Order.
After their initiation, they were called Knights of Saint Catherine. They lived and acted according to the rules of Saint Basil, who established guidelines for monastic life, focusing on community life, liturgical prayer and manual labor.
King Levon VI of Armenia (1342-1393) took over the leadership of the Order, after which it passed to the Cypriot cadet branch of the royal house of Lusignan, and then to their descendants.

The Order has been revived several times by the descendants of the royal house of Lusignan. One of them was Emperor Nicholas I, and the Order has since been passed down to descendants.
In the 20th century, the Order was awarded to members of the Armenian Democratic Republic (the First Republic of Armenia), as well as to many other political, noble, and military leaders.
The purpose of the Order today, in the 21st century, is charitable in nature, primarily aimed at supporting the restoration of ancient Christian churches and temples in Africa and the Middle East.