Catholics mark November 25 as the memorial of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, a highly respected martyr from the fourth century.
Saint Catherine became especially popular during the medieval period, when stories about her courage and faith captured the imagination of believers. Many loved the accounts of how she refused marriage, boldly challenged an emperor, and remained faithful to Christ even when threatened with torture. Her memorial was restored to the Roman Catholic calendar by Pope John Paul II in 2002.
Because of the many legends surrounding her, the historical details of Catherine’s life are not always clear. Most traditions agree that she came from a noble family, became a Christian as a young woman, chose to remain a virgin before monastic life existed, and eventually died for her faith.
Her story is closely linked to the ancient city of Alexandria in Egypt, a great center of learning. Tradition describes her as a well educated woman from a wealthy pagan household.
One well known account says that Catherine converted after a vision of the Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus. This moment inspired many works of art that portray her as a spiritual bride of Christ.
Catherine lived during the rule of Emperor Maxentius in Egypt, a time when Christianity was growing but still facing persecution, just before Emperor Constantine legalized the faith.
According to tradition, Catherine confronted Maxentius about his harsh treatment of Christians. He first tried to persuade her to give up her faith by arranging a debate between her and several pagan scholars. Catherine won the debate and even converted the philosophers.
Maxentius then tried to win her over by offering to make her his mistress. She rejected him and is said to have influenced his wife to accept baptism.
Angered by her boldness, the emperor ordered her to be tortured on a spiked wheel. Tradition holds that the wheel broke apart or that she was miraculously protected. She was later executed by beheading.
Maxentius himself was defeated and killed in a famous battle against Constantine in October 312, fading into history without honor. Saint Catherine, however, inspired generations of scholars, consecrated women, and martyrs.
In later centuries, young women in parts of Western Europe often prayed for her help in finding a good husband an interesting twist, considering Catherine’s vow of virginity and her symbolic “mystic marriage” to Christ. Sadly, the torture device associated with her became known as the “Catherine wheel,” even in Christian lands.
Today, Saint Catherine of Alexandria is most widely recognized as the patron of the ancient monastery at Mount Sinai, believed by many to be the oldest continuously inhabited monastery in the world.