Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Saint Catherine of Alexandria whose legend is the product of an unknown Carolingian writer was supposed to have lived in the 4th century.   Although she was a popular early martyr, she has no ancient cult and is mentioned in none of the early martyrologies.   According to legend, she was extremely learned even as a child.   In Alexandria, she rebuked the Roman emperor Maxentius for his persecution of Christians and converted the philosophers he had ordered to debate with her.  Maxentius condemned her to be broken on the wheel, but, by a miracle, the wheel collapsed. She was subsequently beheaded.

Her body is said to have been discovered on Mount Sinai in about 800. The Monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai dates from 527, but early pilgrims make no mention of its connection with St. Catherine.

Her traditional feast day, November 25, was dropped from the Roman Catholic calendar in 1969.

The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine by Parmigianino (1503-1540) was purchased by the National Gallery, London in 1974.   Catherine is seen in a vision of Madonna and the Child, who had turned towards her and later placed a ring upon her finger symbolizing her marriage to God.   The figure in the foreground is presumably Joseph.