St. Catherine of Alexandria holding a sword and a palm, a wheel at her side and Emperor Maxentius at her feet, with two kneeling donors (a man and a woman) with their patron saints: St. John the Baptist holding a staff and the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei), and St. Catherine of Sweden with a deer; all are looking upward at God in heaven

St. Catherine of Alexandria was a 4th-century Christian martyr and saint. According to tradition, she was a learned and beautiful woman who converted to Christianity and became a noted defender of the faith. She was imprisoned and subjected to various tortures, including being broken on a wheel, but survived. She is said to have converted the emperor Maxentius to Christianity before her ultimate execution. St. Catherine is the patron saint of philosophers, students, and preachers and is venerated by the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Coptic Churches.

catherine alexandria sword palm wheel side emperor maxentius emperor maxentius donors man woman patron saints patron saints john baptist staff lamb god agnus dei agnus dei sweden deer heaven national library of netherlands medieval medieval manuscript manuscripts images of heaven john the baptist roman empire

1300 - 1500

National Library of the Netherlands

http://europeana.eu/

Public Domain Marked