Great Martyr Catherine of Alexandria

The Great Martyr Catherine was born in Alexandria into a noble family and received a brilliant education — tradition holds she was versed in philosophy, rhetoric, and many languages. While still young she was granted a mystical vision in which she considered herself betrothed to Christ. When Emperor Maximinus Daia, ruler of the empire's eastern provinces, ordered her to sacrifice to idols, St. Catherine entered into a debate with him about the faith, exposing the falsehood of paganism. Angered by her firmness, the emperor gathered 50 of the best pagan philosophers to debate her — but all were converted to Christ by her arguments and were executed for it. Having also refused the emperor's offer to make her his wife, the saint was imprisoned, where, tradition holds, she converted the emperor's own wife, Augusta, and the military commander Porphyrius with his retinue, to Christ. Condemned to be broken on four spiked wheels bound together, she was miraculously delivered — the instrument of torture shattered, striking down those standing nearby. St. Catherine was then beheaded; tradition holds that milk flowed from the wound instead of blood. Her body was carried by angels to Mount Sinai, where centuries later it was discovered, and where, by order of Emperor Justinian, a monastery was founded in the Great Martyr Catherine's name — one of the oldest continuously operating monasteries in the world, still housing her relics (head and left hand) today.

NOTE: the broken duplicated template text has been replaced. The original broken template's implied ruler may have erroneously suggested Maxentius (who ruled Italy/Rome) — per Church tradition the correct ruler is Maximinus Daia, who governed the East (Alexandria was within his domain). The feast date for Russian tradition is Nov 24/Dec 7 (the Greek/Athonite tradition uses Nov 25 — a calendar divergence, not an error).