Every November 25, the Catholic Church celebrates Saint Catherine of Alexandria, a martyr of the first centuries of the Christian era (she was born at the end of the 3rd century). She is considered the patron saint of philosophers, students, single women and of trades that are related to the use of the wheel. It is also true of nurses and preachers.
Tradition records his words before giving his life in martyrdom: “Lord Jesus, I beg you to listen to me and to all who at the hour of their death, remembering my martyrdom, invoke your name!”
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Catherine lived in the 4th century, but it would not be until two centuries after her death that her cult would spread throughout Europe, becoming very popular.
Search for the truth
Saint Catherine of Alexandria was born in Egypt, into a noble family, around the year 290. She was the daughter of King Costus and from a very young age stood out for her intelligence. Given her status as a princess, she received a careful education, and due to her ability and insight she came to rub shoulders with philosophers and poets.
His conversion to Christianity began with a dream in which Jesus appeared to him, after which he began to become interested in Christian doctrine. From then on, both his mind and his heart were transformed; Catalina asked for baptism and wanted to consecrate her life to the Lord.
The Truth against imperial power
In the year 310, the Roman emperor Maxentius visited Alexandria, the city where the saint lived, to preside over ceremonies dedicated to the gods. Once the festivities began, the emperor ordered that sacrifices be offered according to custom.
When it was her turn to present her offering, Catherine refused to do so and instead of reverence to the gods she crossed herself before the Emperor. He, enraged, sent for her. Once she was brought into his presence, Maxentius questioned her behavior. Catalina then challenged him to debate the true God.
Such was the forcefulness of the saint’s words that the emperor was impressed by her wisdom and beauty. Then, he sent for a group of wise men to debate with her. When the confrontation took place, Catherine not only managed to overcome the teachers’ questioning, but she argued with such excellence about God that they also decided to embrace the wisdom that the saint possessed. Like many others who dealt with Catherine, these men became Christians. The emperor, upon learning what had happened, ordered that they be executed.
Christ makes his way into hearts
Later, Maxentius, in order to give Catherine one last chance, proposed that she be one of the empress’s accompanying maids. The saint rejected the offer, so she would be whipped and then locked in a dungeon, without food.
The emperor’s consort, moved, came to see her in her cell in the company of one of Maxentius’s generals, Porphyry, to bring her encouragement and comfort. They witnessed the appearance of angels who accompanied and healed Catalina’s wounds. The young woman explained that this came from God, who is always compassionate and merciful; He spoke to them about Christ and they converted their hearts to the Lord.
Martyrdom
The emperor took what happened as the greatest affront and ordered Catherine to be tortured. A group of soldiers built a device that had a wheel with nails and blades. When they held Catalina, she prayed to the Lord and the mechanism burst into pieces, killing some of those present.
So, to ensure that the saint died, the beheading was prepared. The blow of the executioner’s sword severed his head instantly. Tradition says that Catherine’s remains were not desecrated because some angels took them to Mount Sinai (today they are venerated in that place).
Two centuries later, Emperor Justinian (c. 527-565), who was Christian, erected a monastery on the Sinai in honor of Saint Catherine, a martyr, considered one of the oldest in the world.
Patronazgos
To the patronages already mentioned are added those of ‘patroness of apologists’; ‘craftsmen’ who use wheels in their work, such as potters, spinners, millers; as well as archivists; lawyers; jurists; librarians. Because of the youth with which she was led to martyrdom and the resistance exhibited during it, she is the patron saint of people in the process of death. Because of her rhetorical ability and insight as a young girl, she is the patron saint of educators, young single women, students, and teachers. Due to the iconographic tradition that represents it, it is also associated with trades in which sharp instruments or instruments made of metal are used: knife sharpeners; mechanics; turners; stenographers and secretaries.
In Spain she is patron of the Royal University of Toledo. In Latin America, she is the patron saint of cities and towns in Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Panama.
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If you want to know more about the life of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, we recommend this article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/Santa_Catalina_de_Alejandr%C3%ADa.
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