Catherine of Alexandria was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the emperor Maxentius. Joan of Arc identified her as one of the saints who appeared to and counselled her. Some modern scholars consider that the legend of Catherine was probably based on the life and murder of the Greek philosopher Hypatia.
About Catherine of Alexandria in brief
Catherine of Alexandria was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the emperor Maxentius. According to her hagiography, she was both a princess and a noted scholar. Joan of Arc identified her as one of the saints who appeared to and counselled her. Some modern scholars consider that the legend of Catherine was probably based on the life and murder of the Greek philosopher Hypatia, with reversed roles of Christians and pagans. The idea that Catherine’s life was either based on or became confused with the life ofHypatia has become a popular theory among modern scholars. The Eastern Orthodox Church venerates her as a Great Martyr and celebrates her feast day on 24 or 25 November, depending on the regional tradition. In Catholicism, Catherine is traditionally revered asone of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and she is commemorated in the Roman Martyrology on 25 November. Her feast was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969, but restored in 2002 as an optional memorial. Sometimes cited as a possible inspiration for Catherine, the writer Eusebius wrote, around 320, that the Emperor Maximinus had ordered a young Christian woman to become his mistress and had punished her when she refused to become her mistress. He also wrote that Catherine had refused to be his mistress when he had ordered her to come to his palace to become a Christian and had been punished by her having been punished for her refusal.
In the 6th century, the Eastern Emperor Justinian had established what is now Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Egypt. Countless people make the pilgrimage to the Monastery to receive miracle healing from Catherine. The story of Catherine’s martyrdom is told in the book, The Life of Saint Catherine, by Catherine of Alexandria, which is published by Simon & Schuster. The book is available in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Arabic. For more information, visit www.stcatherine.org.uk or go to www.saintcatherine-of-alexandria.co.uk. For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or visit a local Samaritans branch or click here for details. The Samaritans are a charitable organisation. For support on suicide matters call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/. For support in the UK, contact Samaritans on 08457 909090. For help in the U.S., call the Salvation Army on 1-8457-909090 or visit http:// www.samaritans.org or the University of Manchester and University of London on their campus in the UK. For information on how to get involved in the fight for the cause, visit the Samaritans’ Online page and click on the link for more information.
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This page is based on the article Catherine of Alexandria published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 09, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
