Memorial Day of the Great Martyr Catherine

According to the Orthodox calendar, the Day of Remembrance of the Great Martyr Catherine falls on December 7, but in other areas of Christian teaching it is revered on other dates The saint suffered for her strong faith, accepting martyrdom, but did not betray the path of purity and truth She was born in Alexandria in 287, into a wealthy family of a ruler, having the opportunity to study, and her education was very versatile and deep The mother was a secret Christian and took the girl to the priest At baptism she received her name, and later became famous as Catherine of Alexandria Before the ceremony, her name was Dorothea, which translated means “given by God” In those days, the persecution of Christians was very strong First of all, the degree of persecution depended on the ruler So Maximin II Daza, whose reign occurred at the very beginning of the 4th century, was particularly cruel and intolerant of the new religion Being a pagan, he forced every resident to make blood sacrifices During one of these celebrations, a young girl showed unprecedented courage She personally came to the palace and tried to reason with the emperor to stop worshiping pagan gods Her bright mind helped her to honorably win the discussion with the court philosophers who spoke on behalf of the ruler For this they paid severely: the fierce Maximin ordered them to be burned alive, since the truth had descended on them, and they had renounced the old gods Catherine herself was beaten and imprisoned, because the emperor began to have plans for her that went far beyond religious disputes The girl categorically rejected the inclination towards marriage - it was not for nothing that the status of “Bride of Christ” was assigned to her The young maiden, possessing incomparable beauty and wisdom, wanted the most worthy groom for herself - a young man superior to her in talents But she couldn’t choose such a man among earthly husbands Jesus, appearing to her after she accepted Christianity, gave her a ring - a sign of betrothal and a symbol of his Divine love Even the official wife of the emperor converted to Christianity, convinced of the truth of the faith, like everyone who communicated with Catherine After 12 days of imprisonment, the saint was beheaded - this happened in 305 The life contains many terrifying details that confirm the tenacity of her faith A special instrument was invented for torturing the rebellious Catherine, consisting of 4 wheels She was not afraid of the torment - she boldly approached herself But an angel who appeared from heaven destroyed the terrible weapon That is why the spiked wheel is one of the sacred attributes depicted on icons, along with books, a sword, a crown and a palm branch When venerating the images of the Great Martyr Catherine, miracles can appear Such cases are known, and are a visible sign of the saint’s intercession for the believers before the Lord The same power is possessed by the holy relics that were found by Egyptian Christians in the mid-6th century According to legend, after the execution the body of the martyr was taken by angels and transferred to Mount Sinai, adjacent to Mount Sinai After some time, the celebration of the saint was established - no later than the 8th century Gradually, knowledge spread throughout Eastern and Western Europe A knightly order was organized under her name Today, in Western rituals, she is considered the patroness of students for her phenomenal abilities in science In Russian Orthodoxy, the name of Saint Catherine began to be glorified not immediately - only in the 15th-16th centuries This is also evidenced by the fact that daughters from princely families were not called by this name, and early monasteries in her honor are extremely rare In the 18th century, Catherine became the patroness of the female part of the Romanov dynasty Since that time, veneration has expanded significantly Today, on Memorial Day, a solemn liturgy is held and religious processions are organized Charity evenings are dedicated to the holiday in some dioceses Those who seek family happiness seek the saint’s intercession on this bright holiday She blesses everyone who seeks peace and well-being to do good deeds to save their souls