An Outline of the Life of
St Catherine of Alexandria

Catherine was a beautiful young queen, who lived in a palace in Alexandria, and who was baptised by a hermit. Many of her subjects became Christians. Then there arrived in Alexandria one day her overlord, the Roman Emperor Maxentius, determined to make all the people of Alexandria sacrifice to idols, and to kill all those who refused. Queen Catherine, eighteen years old and unmarried, disputed with the Emperor, who was so much affected by her learning that he sent for fifty philosophers to argue against her. She bettered them in argument, and they told the Emperor they would now be converted. The Emperor had them burnt, all fifty.

Then he asked Catherine to marry him, and said that if she did her image would be set up in Alexandria as a goddess. She said no. The Emperor ordered her to be stripped and beaten with scorpions, and starved for twelve days in a dark prison. A white dove brought her food. She argued again with Maxentius, who again asked her to marry him, and ordered her to sacrifice to idols. In fury he said, "Choose! Either you offer sacrifice and live, or suffer horrible torture and die!" Catherine replied, "You must do as you want. I will not give in and sacrifice to false gods."

Then a master advised the king he should make four wheels of iron, edged with sharp razors, cutting so that she might be horribly cut in torment, and then two wheels should turn against the other two with great force, so that they should break all that should be between the wheels.

So here were the first Catherine Wheels. They failed to kill her outright, because St Catherine prayed that Our Lord would break the wheels to bring about a miracle and cause the conversion of people who were there. When this happened, the Emperor became more mad and angry, and ordered his men to cut off her head.

The legend ends by saying that angels took St Catherine's body to the Mount of Sinai and buried it there. To this day there is still a monastery of St Catherine at this holy spot.

Our school was dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria, whose feast day is on 25 November. Her emblem is the Catherine Wheel, which was the means of her martyrdom and sainthood.