St. Catherine of Alexandria icon

St. Catherine of Alexandria icon
© Cecilia Lawrence
November 23rd 2015
4.5 x 6 inches
Ink, watercolor, gold leaf

“Let us praise the all-lauded and noble bride of Christ,
the godly Catherine, the guardian of Sinai and its defense,
who is also our support and succour and our help;
for with the Holy Spirit's power
she hath silenced brilliantly the clever among the godless;
and being crowned as a martyr, she now doth ask great mercy for us all.”
~ Greek usage (Tone Plagal 1)

“Thy lamb Catherine, O Jesus,
Calls out to thee in a loud voice:
I love thee, O my bridegroom,
And in seeking thee, I endure suffering.
In baptism I was crucified so that I might reign in thee,
And died so that I might live with thee.
Accept me as a pure sacrifice,
For I have offered myself in love.
By her prayers save our souls, since thou art merciful.”
~ Slavic usage (Tone 4)

I’ve finally gotten around to uploading this one! It’s been finished since November, but it takes me so long to write these descriptions (or rather, to get around to writing them) that I don’t upload them as quickly as they’re finished. St. Catherine of Alexandria is one of my personal favorite saints, and if I had to pick my confirmation saint over again I’d probably choose her. So in my depiction of St. Catherine of Alexandria, I’ve dressed her in the Late Roman style, based on contemporary and earlier historical examples, (especially the Fayum mummy portraits) in red, purple, and green, which are colors normally associated with her. Her distinctive attributes are the spiked wheel, a sword and a book. I have also added the traditional symbols of martyrdom and purity (the palm branch and the three lilies respectively). The ring on her finger also is a reference to her mystical marriage with Jesus Christ. I’m not too happy with the color combination though, I think it turned out too dark, and if I did it again I think I would have made her veil purple instead of red. Ah well.



:+: A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE SAINT :+:

Saint Catherine of Alexandria (287 – November 25th 307 A.D.), is one of the most well-known virgin-martyrs of the Church. She was born in Alexandria, Egypt into a wealthy patrician family. Her parents were named Costus and Sabinella, and her father held a high post in the administration of the city. Catherine was an incredibly intelligent and gifted child, and from an early age delighted in learning of all sorts, especially in philosophy, literature, medicine, and languages. Nurtured in that city renowned for its great learning and wisdom, she quickly became accomplished in a variety of languages, mastered the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, and was well-versed in Greek literature and poetry. Scholars wondered at her piercing intellect and brilliant reasoning. In addition to her great learning, she was also incredibly beautiful, and this, coupled with her noble birth and wealth, made her the object of many proposals for marriage. However, Catherine rejected all of her suitors, and by the age of eighteen, she was still unmarried. Her father had since died, and her mother Sabinella anxiously urged her to choose a husband who would make a worthy match.

Catherine in turn was exasperated and replied: "Bring me a bridegroom who is as learned, as beautiful, as noble, as rich,—in short, is of equal rank with me, and I am ready to accept him for my husband." Her mother, who was a Christian, went to seek the advice of a Christian hermit and ascetic who lived outside the city. The ascetic listened to her story and gave her a small image of the Mother of God holding her Divine Son in her arms. He told Sabinella to give it to Catherine, and to pray for her daughter in the meantime. Later one evening, Catherine had a dream in which she saw a beautiful Empress appear among myriads of the Heavenly hosts along with an Emperor of indescribable beauty and majesty, power and wisdom. The Beautiful Lady said, pointing to her Son: “Would you choose this one to be your Bridegroom?” Catherine, marveling at his beauty and grace, replied: “Yes! Him do I choose and no other!” So the Beautiful Lady turned to her Son and asked Him, “Dear Son, will you take this beautiful maiden for your Bride? For see, not only is she beautiful, but she is of noble birth, is wealthy and possesses surpassing wisdom and learning.” But her Son frowned and said, “No, I will not take her as my bride, for she is ugly, poor, contemptible, and ignorant. Rather, remove her from my sight, for she is not a Christian. I am the Emperor of the Christians, and I will not take a pagan bride. But, if she wishes to have me for her spouse, let her be instructed and baptized, and I will espouse her to myself with the pledge of a ring, and make her truly wise, beautiful, pure, and noble.

Catherine awoke from the vision and wept piteously, vowing that she would marry no one else but the Emperor of the Christians. Her mother took her to the hermit outside the city, where she related to him the vision Catherine had seen. The ascetic then turned to Catherine and told her that the Emperor and the Empress were none other than the Lord Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, His Mother. Then he said, “If you desire to be the bride of this Heavenly Emperor, you must be baptized and become a Christian." Catherine eagerly assented, and she was instructed in the Christian Faith. The more she learned, the more she saw the truth of what the holy hermit was telling her, and she wholeheartedly professed the Christian religion. Afterwards, she was baptized by the same ascetic.

Sometime later, Catherine was praying in her room when she beheld another vision of the Heavenly Emperor and Empress escorted by the heavenly hosts of angels. Mary presented her Son to Catherine. Jesus was richly appareled, as for a wedding, and said: “Before she was poor, and now she is rich; before she was ignorant, and now she is truly wise; before she was proud, and now she is humble. She is now worthy and I accept her as my bride.”  And before the hosts of heaven, He took Catherine as His bride by placing a visible ring on her finger. He bade her to be faithful to Him, and promised her that He would reward her steadfast love. When the vision ceased, she saw the ring on her finger, and vowed to remain faithful to her Bridegroom.

In order to draw even closer to Jesus, she spent a great part of her time in reading, contemplation and prayer, by zealously studying the Sacred Scriptures and meditating on the words of the Gospels. She also would go and hold discussions with other Christians and debate with the pagan scholars of Alexandria. She grew quickly in her theological knowledge and even began teaching others about the Faith.

In 305, when Galerius became Augustus of the eastern Empire, he adopted his nephew Maximinus and appointed him Caesar, and gave him the government of the provinces of Syria and Egypt. The bishop of Caesarea, Eusebius, who was a contemporary of Catherine, wrote in his Church History that Maximinus was cruel tyrant who lived a dissolute and wicked lifestyle. He renewed the persecution of Christians in the areas under his control. Eusebius recounts that the Christians “endured fire and sword and crucifixion and wild beasts and the depths of the sea, and cutting off of limbs, and burnings, and pricking and digging out of eyes, and mutilations of the entire body, and besides these, hunger and mines and bonds. In all they showed patience in behalf of religion rather than transfer to idols the reverence due to God. Maximinus also had a reputation for lasciviousness, and only Christian women resisted him. In the same passage, Eusebius said, “Why need we relate the licentious, shameless deeds of the man, or enumerate the multitude with whom he committed adultery? For he could not pass through a city without continually corrupting women and ravishing virgins.” The bishop further related that “the women were not less manly than the men in behalf of the teaching of the Divine Word, as they endured conflicts with the men, and bore away equal prizes of virtue. And when they were dragged away for corrupt purposes, they surrendered their lives to death rather than their bodies to impurity.”

While Maximinus was in Alexandria, sacrificing to pagan idols and having Christians who refused brutally tortured, Catherine herself boldly approached the Caesar and rebuked him for his savage cruelty and wickedness. She also gave many good arguments for the Christian faith and reviled the pagan gods, using both secular philosophical arguments and theological reasoning. Maximinus was impressed by her beauty, courage and learning, and assented to her proposition that he invite a large number of pagan philosophers and orators to publicly debate with her. After the philosophers arrived in Alexandria, the public debate was held with Maximinus presiding over it. After many heated arguments and disputations about the nature of God, the truth of Christianity and the falsehood of paganism, Catherine had so thoroughly beaten them that they were silenced. Some even openly admitted to being convinced by her arguments and they in turn desired to become Christians. The Caesar, since the debate had not worked, tried to flatter her and also offered Catherine large gifts and made generous promises to her if only she would convert to paganism. Catherine stoutly refused. Maximinus was so enraged at this that he had the philosophers and Catherine arrested. The former he had burned to death, while he had Catherine scourged and then thrown into a dark dungeon for eleven days. During this time, Maximinus’ wife was so impressed by the brave girl’s spirited defense of Christianity that she and her guards went to visit the maiden in her prison cell. There, Catherine expounded to them the truths of Christianity and her steadfast courage in suffering so convinced them of the truth of her words that they too converted to Christianity. These latter ones were subsequently harshly punished, and Catherine herself was condemned to be tortured to death by being broken on the wheel.

When the maiden was led towards the instrument of torture, she touched it and the device was miraculously broken to pieces. Exasperated, Maximinus then ordered her to be put to the sword. She was led away and beheaded. Tradition relates that her body was later carried by angels to Mt. Sinai, where her body was rediscovered by a hermit living there. The Emperor Justinian had a monastery built on the site surrounding the Burning Bush sometime between 548 and 565 A.D. The Monastery was named for St. Catherine of Alexandria, and to this day St. Catherine’s Monastery holds the relics of St. Catherine (s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/7…), as well as preserves some of the oldest Christian manuscripts and art in the world.

St. Catherine of Alexandria remained a very popular saint, and became even more so after the Crusader conquests in the Holy Land allowed pilgrims to freely travel to holy sites that had been closed off for hundreds of years. She soon became one of the most popular saints in medieval Europe, with hundreds of churches, art, songs, and poetry being dedicated in her honor. Adam of Sainte-Victor wrote one long poem in Latin in her honor, called Vox Sonora nostri chori. She was revered as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and her feast day was celebrated with the greatest solemnity.

"The Church everywhere flourishes through the glorious deeds of the holy martyrs. With our own eyes we can judge the truth of our song, that the death of his saints is precious in the sight of the Lord. It is precious in our sight and in the sight of the Lord as well, for in his name they died.

But the price of these deaths is the death of one man. See how many deaths he paid for by dying himself ! For if he had not died, would the grain of wheat have been multiplied? You have heard what he said on his way to his passion, which was our redemption: Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

On the cross he made the great exchange. There the purse which held our price was opened, for when the soldier's spear opened his side, the price of the whole world flowed forth. Thus he purchased the faithful and the martyrs. But the faith of the martyrs has been tested; their blood is the proof. They paid back the price Christ paid for them, thus fulfilling the words of Saint John: Just as Christ laid down his life for us, we too must lay down our lives for our brothers.

Elsewhere it is said: You are seated at a great table. Observe carefully all that is set before you, for you also must prepare such a banquet. The table is large, for the banquet is none other than the Lord of the table himself. No one has his guests feed upon himself, and yet this is precisely what Christ our Lord does; though host, he himself is both food and drink. The martyrs recognized the food and drink they were given, in order to make repayment in kind.

But how can they make repayment, unless he first spends his riches on them and gives them the means to repay? And what does the psalm we have sung recommend when it says: The death of the saints is precious in the sight of the Lord?

In this psalm man ponders the great things he has received from God, the great gifts of grace from the almighty: God created man, sought him when he was lost, pardoned him when he was found, supported him when he struggled in weakness, did not abandon him when he was in danger, crowned him in victory, and gave himself as the prize. Reflecting on all this man cries out, saying: What shall I give the Lord for all he has given me? I shall take up the cup of salvation.

What is this cup? It is the cup of suffering, bitter yet healthful: the cup which, if the physician did not first drink it, the sick man would fear to touch. Yes, it is the cup of suffering, and of it Christ is speaking when he says: Father, if it is possible let this cup pass from me.

Of this cup the martyrs said: I shall take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. But are you not afraid you will weaken? No, they reply. And why? Because I shall call upon the name of the Lord. Do you think martyrs could have been victorious, unless he was victorious in the martyrs who said: Rejoice, for I have overcome the world? The Lord of the heavens directed their minds and tongues; through them he overcame the devil on earth and crowned them as martyrs in heaven. Blessed are those who have drunk of this cup! Their torments are at an end, and they have taken their place of honor. And so, my dear ones, consider: although you cannot see with your eyes, do so with your mind and soul, and see that the death of the saints is precious in the sight of the Lord."

~ from a sermon by St. Augustine of Hippo

The Feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria is celebrated on November 25th.

St. Catherine of Alexandria is the patron saint of philosophers, virgins, scholars, female students, apologists, and wheelwrights.

Almighty ever-living God,
who gave Saint Catherine of Alexandria to your people
as a Virgin and an invincible Martyr,
grant that through her intercession
we may be strengthened in faith and constancy
and spend ourselves without reserve
for the unity of the Church.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.