Tuesday, 18 December 2012

The story of St Catherine of Alexandria


St Catherine was born in 282AD in Alexandria, Egypt to King Costus and Queen Sabinella.  She was exceedingly well-versed in all the arts, sciences and in philosophy.  She converted to Christianity and became a bride of Christ.  She approached the Emperor Maximinus II in relation to his persecution of Christians.  In response Maximinus II organised fifty philosophers to debate against St Catherine.  His attempt to defeat her not only failed but she also succeeded in converting the philosophers to Christianity.  Enraged by this, Maximinus II had the philosophers burned alive.  The Emperor asked St Catherine to marry him, to which she refused.  Maximinus II had Catherine imprisoned and scourged.  She proceeded to convert the Emperors wife along with two hundred soldiers, who were then beheaded along with the Empress.  The Emperor  then had Catherine put over four wheels joined together with sharp pointed spikes, that, when the wheels moved her body might be torn to pieces.  As the torture began the wheels broke apart and killed and injured many of the spectators, after which the Emperor finally ordered to have Catherine beheaded.  It is said that at her beheading milk poured from Catherine’s veins instead of blood.  Her body was removed from Alexandria and taken to Mount Sinai in Egypt.  The Monastery of St Catherine, founded between 548 and 565, still survives to this day in the Sinai Peninsula.  The location of the monastery was selected at the site where Moses saw the burning bush.
In the 12th and 13th century’s the crusaders returned to Europe with tales of St Catherine and the monastery in her name, which caused the cult of St. Catherine to gain mass popularity.

The popular story of the introduction of the cult of St. Catherine is that a party of monks were making a voyage on the west coast of Ireland.  The boat was caught in a great storm and the monks prayed to St. Catherine “patron saint of sea farers” to protect them and take them safely to shore.  They vowed if they reached land they would dedicate a holy well in her honour.  The monks arrived safely in Killybegs and dedicated the well to St. Catherine.

The feast day of St. Catherine of Alexandria is celebrated on the 25th of November.

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