The Story Behind This Icon: Saint Catherine was born in the late 3rd century AD, in Alexandria, Egypt - the wealthiest and most advanced city of its day, even moreso than Rome itself - to a wealthy and powerful family. Saint Catherine was remarkably intelligent and beautiful and, more importantly, was raised Christian in secret by her mother. During a pagan festival, Saint Catherine, inspired by the Christian martyrs, proclaimed her Christianity to the Emperor Maximinus. The Emperor was charmed by Catherine’s beauty and tried to convert her to paganism by bringing 50 of the wisest pagan men to sponsor a debate. He wagered that if Catherine lost a single one of the disputes, she would have to convert. She won every debate, and Maximinus resorted to tempting her with riches to convert. After Saint Catherine refused, she was jailed and tortured on a spiked wheel which miraculously broke sending blades flying in all directions and wounding the soldiers. Eventually, she was beheaded and her body was carried from a flight of angels to Mount Sinai. The holy icon of Saint Catherine depicts her wearing garments of royalty to indicate not her earthly wealth but her membership in Christ's Heavenly Kingdom. She holds a Cross in her right hand, indicating her martyrdom, and stands next to the wheel which was the instrument of her torture. Saint Catherine's feast day is celebrated on November 25. *** This icon of Saint Catherine is reproduced, with permission, from the authentic icon painted by the monks in the Cell of St. John the Theologian Holy Monastery of Koutloumousiou in Mount Athos, Greece. This icon is part of our collection Icons from Mount Athos, which features all icons from the Cell of St. John the Theologian. Thisicon is made of solid, natural limewood (Tilia) that has been prepared by hand using traditional methods and organic materials. The backgroundconsists of 22 Karat gold leaves thatwere meticulously applied by hand, piece by piece. All of our icons are reproduced according to museum print standards and are authentic replicas of Holy Icons from Mount Athos and elsewhere. Learn more about how our Holy Icons are made here.
