Saint Catherine of Alexandria is the patron saint of the Holy Monastery of the God-trodden Mount Sinai. In this role, she is the special guardian of the monastic community and their heavenly intercessor.
She was the daughter of Constas, the governor of Alexandria and a leading member of the imperial court. Born around the year 287, she converted to faith in Christ at a young age after receiving a miraculous vision.
When the persecution of Christians began under the emperor Maxentius, she rebuked him to his face. The emperor summoned his best philosophers to debate with her, but Catherine left them speechless with her wisdom, even persuading some of them to become Christians, for which they were quickly executed.
Catherine was imprisoned and subjected to inhuman tortures. She was offered many rewards in return for renouncing Christ, all of which she rejected, and she continued to preach Christ to everyone she met in the prison. The saint was sentenced to death on the breaking wheel, which miraculously failed, and she finally received the crown of martyrdom by beheading about the year 305, at the age of 17 or 18.
Her body was miraculously taken by angels to Mount Sinai and buried. Many years later, her relics were discovered, and the nearby monastery originally dedicated to the Burning Bush was rededicated to Saint Catherine.
This 500-year-old panel icon was likely painted by an iconographer from Crete, based on the unique Cretan style. The icon is in remarkable condition, with virtually no damage aside from the crack that runs down the center.
Saint Catherine is depicted in the center surrounded by books, a symbol of her wisdom in refuting the best philosophers of her time. She is robed and crowned in a royal fashion, symbols of her worldly status as well as her martyric victory. In her left hand is the breaking wheel, the instrument of her torture, and the Cross, which she took up and symbolizing her suffering for Christ.
On the outer edges are scenes from her life: her vision of Christ and the Virgin Mary at her conversion, her oration before the emperor and his philosophers, her conversation with the empress, her vision of Christ and the Virgin Mary in prison, her beheading, and the deposition of her relics at Mount Sinai. At the bottom, a monk of the monastery prays for the saint's intercession during an attack by Arab raiders.
By purchasing this icon, you will be reminded of your faith daily, and challenged to live it out with the faithfulness of Saint Catherine. At the same time, you will participate in the work of beautifying and preserving the rich heritage of Saint Catherine's Monastery for future generations.
