Saint Catherine of Alexandria belongs to those Christian martyrs who, in the first centuries of the spread of the True Faith, even under the threat of their lives, did not renounce the teachings of Christ and accepted death for it, as the icon of the Great Martyr Catherine reminds us.

The story of the life and deeds of St. Catherine

Catherine was born at the end of the 2nd century in Alexandria, into an aristocratic family. She received an excellent education and was famous not only for her beauty, but also for her intelligence, so there were many suitors for her hand. However, the girl was waiting for someone who would surpass her in everything, but there was no such groom.

Her fate was decided by a meeting with a righteous desert elder, to whom she told about her expectations

Then the elder said that he knew such a groom, and gave the girl an icon of the Mother of God, promising that she would help her see him.

At night, Catherine had a vision: the Queen of Heaven appeared to her in a host of angels and with the Child in her arms, from whom radiance emanated. However, the Divine Youth did not want to look at her and show her His face, but ordered her to go to the elder again.

The elder explained to Catherine that until she believes in the True God, He will not turn His face to her. He spoke in detail about Jesus and the True Faith, after which Catherine believed in the Son of God and was baptized.

That same night, the Mother of God appeared to her again with Her Divine Son. This time He looked at her graciously and put a ring on her finger with the words: “Know not the earthly bridegroom.”

This betrothal to Christ completely changed Catherine’s life: she no longer thought about suitors, but led godly life and often in prayer asked the Lord for spiritual guidance

At this time, the co-ruler of Emperor Diocletian, the same as him, the persecutor of Christians, Maximian, arrived in Alexandria. At a celebration in honor of the pagan gods, Catherine made a passionate accusatory speech, calling on everyone to turn to the True God.

By order of Maximian, the girl was thrown into prison, and then he sent to her learned people so that they convince her to return to the fold of paganism. But the girl brilliantly refuted all their arguments. Maximian's attempts to bribe her also did not yield results. Moreover, his wife Augusta, who became interested in the unusual girl, also converted to Christianity after a conversation with her.

Then Maximian resorted to torture, but the instrument of torture - a wheel with sharp teeth - was crushed by an invisible force. Catherine's head was cut off. This happened in 304.

The meaning of the icon of the Great Martyr Catherine

On the icon of St. Catherine appears before us beautiful girl in rich clothes, surrounded by scrolls and books, which testifies to her learning, which she fully demonstrated in a religious discussion with apologists of paganism. There is also an owl here - a symbol of wisdom, and the main attribute of St. Catherine is a wheel with sharp teeth, on which they began to torture her.

In her hand she holds a flower from which grows a crucifix with the figure of Jesus. Catherine’s sad gaze is directed at Him - this is her Heavenly Groom, to whom she remained faithful to the end. It is precisely in fidelity to the Son of God and His teaching that the meaning of the icon of the holy martyr Catherine lies.

How does the icon of St. Catherine help?

People turn to Saint Catherine with requests to strengthen faith and mental abilities, since she was distinguished by her learning.

Although Catherine herself considered herself the bride of Christ, she is now considered the intercessor of the lonely, which is why the icon of Catherine of Alexandria is often given to women who are looking for their soul mate

This icon helps those who want to gain happy family, it also helps in its preservation, protecting it from strife and quarrels. Prayer to the image of St. Catherine helps to conceive and give birth to a healthy child.

Prayer to the icon

Oh, Saint Catherine, virgin and martyr, true bride of Christ! We pray to you through special grace, which your Bridegroom, Sweet Jesus, preceded you: as if you had put to shame the charms of the tormentor, with your wisdom you conquered fifty branches and, having given them to drink from Heaven With clear teaching, you have guided us to the light of true faith, so ask us for this Godly wisdom, and We, having dissolved all the machinations of the hellish tormentor and despised the temptations of the world and the flesh, are worthy to appear of Divine glory and to expand our holy Orthodox faith, we are made worthy vessels , and with you in the Heavenly Tabernacle we praise and glorify the Lord and our Master Jesus Christ to all ages. Amen.

Nika Kravchuk

Why do they pray to Saint Catherine for happy marriage?

Saint Catherine of Alexandria is one of the most revered in the world. People turn to her with different requests, but she has gained fame all over the world as the patroness of girls. Why do they pray to the Great Martyr to find a good groom? The answer must be sought in the life of the saint.

Beautiful, smart, from a royal family

Saint Catherine was born in 287 in Alexandria. Her parents, representatives of the royal family, named her Dorothea. From childhood, the girl was brought up among famous scientists and philosophers of the time. This, combined with her natural intelligence and special beauty, made her one of the most famous contenders for a hand and heart among noble young men.

Smart, beautiful, from a royal family - but Saint Catherine decided not to get married. I even came up with an excuse for myself: “If you find a candidate who is smarter, prettier and richer than me, then please. But there are no such people.” This is what I consoled myself with.

Then Dorothea's mother, a secret Christian, decided to take her to her spiritual father, who lived in caves near Alexandria.

Wedding ring from Christ himself

The elder heard Catherine’s words and said that he knew one young man who was more beautiful than this girl in every sense. The future Great Martyr Catherine really wanted to see him. Then the elder showed her the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos with her Son in her arms and said that this was that beautiful Youth with His Mother. If a girl really wants to see Him, she must pray in front of this icon.

The girl came home and began to do what the elder taught her. After a certain time she got tired and dozed off. I visited her in a dream Holy Mother of God together with His Son. Only Christ turned his face away from Dorothea. The Mother of God asked Him why He did this, and received the answer: “I will not look at her until she changes.” Catherine received instructions to go to the elder for advice.

The same one taught her what to do to see the beautiful Youth. First, Dorothea learned a lot about the Christian faith, and then she accepted it and was baptized under the name Catherine.

After this, she returned home, prayed the whole night in tears, and when she fell asleep, she again saw the Most Holy Theotokos and Her Son. But this time Christ no longer turned away from the girl, but talked, calling her beautiful and glorious.

As a sign that He accepted her labors and efforts, He called Saint Catherine his bride, incorruptible and eternal. According to the Virgin Mary, the beautiful Youth gave Catherine an engagement ring as a symbol of her betrothal to Christ.

She woke up like that - with a ring on her hand. And after this symbolic betrothal to the source of Light, she became a sincere and courageous Christian.

How one wise girl defeated 50 philosophers

When Emperor Maximin arrived in Alexandria, Saint Catherine urged him to renounce paganism and embrace Christianity. His furious reaction to such a speech was restrained only by the beauty of the girl. He decided to gather 50 of the wisest pagan philosophers of the time and pit them against a beautiful Christian woman in a dispute about who should be worshiped.

But what harm can a person do if God is with him? The Lord gave Catherine even greater wisdom, so that her arguments in favor of Christianity smashed the attempts of the pagans to smithereens.

The girl even cited the names of respected thinkers of the pagan world at that time, who believed in the incarnation of Christ and Holy Trinity. All 50 philosophers realized the worthlessness of idolatry and accepted martyrdom as Christians.

Martyrdom of Catherine

Observing all these events, many people came to true faith. This happened with Augusta, the wife of the evil emperor. She saw an amazing dream: the Great Martyr Catherine places a golden crown on her head - a gift from Christ.

Augusta, along with the ruler’s assistant Porfiry and 200 guards, secretly came to the prison where the cruel emperor had put Catherine. After this visit, everyone present believed in God.

They openly professed their faith and everyone, including Augusta, was beheaded. The ruler himself several times asked the girl to throw the “nonsense” out of her head and worship the pagan gods, for which he even promised half the kingdom. But the Great Martyr Catherine was persistent: “Do not seduce me with the royal scarlet - I prefer martyr’s clothes to her.”

They beat her with ox sinews, and then they even came up with an instrument for especially terrible torture: a 4-wheel mechanism with many needles, two wheels should rotate in one direction, and the rest - in the other. But the Angel smashed this device to pieces.

After the Great Martyr Catherine stopped the emperor’s last flattering speech and rejected his request to become a pagan, Maximin decided to execute her outside the city. The saint turned to Christ in prayer so that he would accept Her into His hands and fulfill his promise - accept her into the Kingdom of Heaven, and meekly go to martyrdom - beheading.

Where are the relics of the saint?

After the execution they could not be found. Tradition says that angels carried the remains of the great martyr to the top of Mount Sinai.

Only in the 6th century did the monks of the Monastery of the Transfiguration receive a vision according to which they went to Sinai to retrieve the relics of the saint. Helped identify the body wedding ring, presented by the Savior himself. The monks took the righteous remains to install a shrine with relics in their temple. After some time, the monastery itself was renamed in honor of the Great Martyr Catherine.

Pilgrims who have visited Sinai and venerated the relics (head and right hand) receive as a gift a ring with an image of a heart and the inscription ΑΓΙΑ ΑΙΚΑΤΕΡΙΝA (St. Catherine).

And both Orthodox and Catholics turn to the saint. They pray that the lost will return to the Church, so that their faith will be strengthened. The Great Martyr is considered the patroness of girls. Both those who decide to take the path of virginity and those who pray to the saint for help in establishing family happiness turn to her.

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The Day of Catherine, the Holy Great Martyr, is widely celebrated throughout the world. Catherine is a legendary saint among Christians. She is loved and revered by all Christians: Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans, supporters of the Armenian-Gregorian and Coptic movements. Catherine is especially idolized and respected in our country.

Brief description of the life of the Great Martyr Catherine

The Day of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine is celebrated on December 7 (November 24, old style). On this holiday, all Christians honor the feat of the great saint in the name of faith.

The saint is originally from Alexandria. During her lifetime, she was famous as a very smart, beautiful and wealthy woman. Having adopted Christianity in 304, she was a preacher of the faith and teachings of Christ.

An ardent opponent of Christianity, tried different ways force Catherine to renounce her faith and convert to paganism. She was kept in prison without water or food, beaten until her body was like a continuous wound, tortured, tied to wheels with sharp teeth, cut off his head with a sword.

The girl’s suffering and persistent faith in the teachings of Jesus Christ led many pagans of that time to renounce their faith and become pious Christians.

Catherine's remains are considered great shrine for all Christians, they can worship in the monastery that bears her name.

Tourists can still see the place where Catherine was executed when visiting Alexandria. Many churches and temples have been erected in honor of the great martyr all over the world, particularly in Russia.

The meaning of the name Ekaterina

It is the name that is the key to Catherine’s action. “Katarina” means “pure” in Greek, the particle “e” carries semantic meaning- "Always". In other words, this name means “always pure.”

Saint Catherine became a symbol of purity of faith, integrity and truth. Even in prayer, Christians call the saint a pure, immaculate virgin who accepted martyrdom because of her unshakable faith in God.

sounds like a shore. Christians turn to the pure, immaculate virgin, who accepted martyrdom for the love of God, with a request for help in solving many life issues.

What do they pray to Saint Catherine for?

December 7 - St. Catherine's Day - is significant because it gives hope to everyone unmarried girls find your happiness. The saint prays to get a good, pious groom, get married successfully and live a happy family life.

The saint helps during difficult birth, therefore, women in labor resort to her in prayer for help.

The day of Catherine, the holy great martyr, is considered by philosophers and preachers to be their holiday. They believe that the saint is their heavenly patroness, and they pray to her to enlighten the mind and acquire new knowledge. Students and teachers ask her for support, because it is Catherine who patronizes knowledge and new teachings.

Praying from the heart, believers hope for the speedy fulfillment of their plans. And often faith really works miracles.

Day of Catherine, Holy Great Martyr - signs of the holiday

This day is truly festive; there are signs associated with it that predict what the harvest will be like next year. According to the beliefs of our ancestors, a bad harvest should be expected if a lot of snow falls on dry ground by this day.

Among weather predictions, the forecast before the holiday of Barbara (December 17) was popular. If there is fog and thaw on Catherine's Day, you should expect the same weather until Varvara, there will be no frost.

Festivities at Catherine's

This winter holiday. Usually on this day the winter is coming in full swing: the ground is covered with snow, frost and cold reign.

December 7, St. Catherine's Day, was famous in the old days folk festivals, they were called that way - Catherine's. It was strictly forbidden to sit at home and be bored on this day. People were having fun, because a mandatory ritual of this holiday was sledding or cart riding down the hill. The guys who were going to get married, on this very day, looked out for brides among the walking crowd in order to have a wedding during the winter meat-eating season. In order to get a good wife, the guys fasted on the eve of the holiday.

Holiday fortune telling for the betrothed

Unmarried girls of marriageable age gathered in one of the houses on this day. After congratulations on the day of Catherine, the holy great martyr, gatherings were held at which porridge or cabbage soup was prepared together from common products.

Exactly at midnight, those fortunetelling and dreaming of finding out their future took the prepared food and, going out to the gate with it, invited their fate. It was believed that if a rooster crowed somewhere for a prize, it meant that the girl would have a successful marriage and a good family life. Silence, on the contrary, did not bode well.

It is December 7, St. Catherine's Day, that is considered the best holiday to find out the future. Before the sun rose, on this day the girls tried to cut a twig of cherries. At home, a cut twig was placed in water to make a forecast - they were waiting for the old New Year. A dry branch is a sign of “shrunken” happiness, an unhappy fate. The cherry blossomed - the girl is waiting for matchmakers next year.

Congratulations on the day of Catherine, the holy great martyr, are widely used by believers in our time. It is imperative to congratulate women who have the same name as the saint. This can be done simply with words, in poetic form by writing a congratulatory letter, but the best manifestation of love and care for a loved one there will be a prayer coming from the heart.

This holiday is known and revered. Believers visit churches and temples on this day to light a candle and make a request to the saint, believing that sincere prayer can work miracles.

She was remarkably beautiful and famous for her wisdom. Being only eighteen years old, Catherine perfectly studied the works of all pagan writers and all ancient poets and philosophers, such as Homer, Virgil, Aristotle, Plato and others. And not only did Catherine know well the works of the sages of antiquity, but she also studied the works of the most famous doctors, such as Asclepius, Hippocrates and Galina; In addition, she learned all the art of oratory and dialectic and also knew many languages ​​and dialects, so that everyone marveled at her learning and knowledge. Many rich and noble people wooed her and for this purpose came to her mother, a secret Christian who hid her faith due to the cruel persecution erected at that time against believers by Maximin. Relatives and mother often advised Catherine to get married so that her father's royal inheritance would not pass into the hands of someone else, through which they would be completely deprived of this inheritance. But Catherine, like a wise girl, firmly decided in her heart to preserve the purity of virginity throughout her life and really did not want marriage. When her relatives began to strongly persuade Catherine to marry, she told them:

“If you want me to get married, then find me a young man who would possess those four talents with which I, as you know, surpass all other girls; and then I will agree to choose him as my wife; and I don’t want to marry a man who in any way would be worse and inferior to me. So, look everywhere, if you will find a young man who would be like me in the nobility of the family, in wealth, in beauty and in wisdom; Every young man who does not have at least one of these gifts is unworthy of me.

Catherine's household, seeing that it was impossible to find such a young man, noticed to her that the royal sons and other noble seekers of her hand could become even nobler and richer if they married her, but in beauty and wisdom no one could compare with her. And Catherine said to them:

“I want to have as my groom no other than someone equal to me in learning.”

Seeing her daughter’s inflexibility, the mother decided to try another remedy. She resorted to the advice of her spiritual father, a pious and holy man who lived in a secret place outside the city. She took Catherine with her and went with her to that righteous husband. He, seeing the beautiful young woman and hearing her wise, albeit modest speeches, had the intention of teaching her the knowledge of Christ, the King of Heaven.

“I know,” he told her, “one wonderful Youth, who incomparably surpasses you in all your talents.” His beauty is brighter sunlight; His wisdom governs all sensory and spiritual creatures; the wealth of His treasures is spread throughout the whole world and never decreases, but, as it is distributed, it increases more and more; and the height of His race is indescribable and incomprehensible. There is no one like Him in the whole world.

Listening to these words of the elder, Catherine thought that he was telling her about some earthly prince - she became embarrassed, her face changed and asked the elder:

- Is everything he tells her true?

He replied that all this was true, and added that that Young Man had other great talents that were impossible to list. The young woman asked him:

- Whose son is the Youth you praise?

The elder answered her:

- He has no father on earth, but was born inexpressibly and supernaturally from one of the most honest birth Most Holy and Most Pure Virgin. She was honored to give birth to such a Son for Her greatest purity and holiness; She remains immortal in soul and body and is exalted above heaven, where all the holy Angels worship Her as the Queen of all creation.

Catherine asked the elder:

- Is it possible for me to see that Youth about whom you report so many wonderful things?

“If you do what I tell you,” the elder answered her, “then you will be worthy to see His most radiant Face.”

Catherine said to him:

“I see that you are a reasonable man and a respectable old man, and therefore I believe that you are telling the truth.” I am ready to do everything that you command me, just to see the One whom you praise so much.

Then the elder gave her an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos holding the Divine Child in Her arms, and said to her:

- Here is an image of the Virgin and Mother of the One about Whom I told you so many wonderful things. Take this image to your home and, having closed the doors of your room, with reverence offer up a fervent prayer to this Virgin, whose name is Mary; beg Her that She would deign to show you Her Son. I hope that if you pray to Her with faith, She will hear you and make you worthy to see the One for whom your soul strives.

Then the youth Catherine, taking the holy icon, returned home and at night, secluded in her room, began to pray as the elder taught her. During a long prayer, Catherine fell asleep from fatigue and saw in a vision the Queen of Heaven in the form as She was depicted in the icon along with the Holy Child, surrounded by a radiant radiance. Catherine could not see His face, for He turned it away from her and turned it to His Mother. Trying to see Him, Catherine came from the other side, but Christ turned His face away from her from there too. This happened three times. After that, Catherine heard that the Mother of God said to Her Son:

- Look, my Child, at Your servant Catherine, how beautiful and kind she is.

And the God-Infant answered Her:

“No, this young woman is very darkened and so ugly that I cannot look at her.”

Then the Most Holy Theotokos again said to the Lord:

“Isn’t this girl wiser than all the philosophers?” Doesn't she surpass all the maidens in her wealth and nobility?

But Christ answered her to this:

“Again I will tell you, My Mother, that this girl is crazy, poor and ill-born, and I will not look at her until she leaves her wickedness.”

To this, the Most Blessed Mother of the Lord said to Him:

“I pray to You, My sweetest Child, do not despise Your creation, but enlighten her and teach her what she needs to do in order to enjoy Your glory and behold Your most bright and most beloved Face, which all the Angels desire to look upon.”

Then Christ answered:

“Let her go to the elder who gave her the icon, and let her do what he commands her, and then she will see Me and find grace before Me.”

Seeing and hearing all this, Catherine woke up from sleep and marveled at the vision. When morning came, she went with a few of her slaves to the cell of the holy elder and, falling with tears at his feet, told him about her vision and begged him to tell him what she needed to do in order to see the Bridegroom-Christ she desired.

Reverend Elder He taught her in detail all the secrets of the true Christian faith, starting from the creation of the world and the creation of the forefather Adam and until the second coming to earth of the Lord Christ, and also told her about the indescribable heavenly glory of the righteous and the painful, endless torment of sinners. Like a wise maiden, enlightened by God and thirsting for truth and salvation, Catherine soon understood all the Christian teachings, believed with all her heart in Jesus Christ and accepted from the same elder holy baptism. After that, the elder commanded her to pray again with much zeal to the Most Pure Mother of God, so that She would appear to her once again, as on the first night.

Thus, having put off the old (cf. Col. 3:9) person and putting on the robe of renewal of the spirit, Catherine returned to her house and spent the whole night in tearful prayer, without food, until she fell asleep. And now she again sees the Queen of Heaven with the Divine Child in her arms. The baby looked at Catherine with great kindness and meekness. The Mother of God asked Her Son:

- Is this girl pleasing to You, My Son?

The Lord answered His Most Pure Mother:

- Very pleasing, for now she is beautiful and glorious, and not ugly and dishonest, as before; Now she is rich and wise, and not poor as she was at first; Now I have loved her, and she pleases Me so much that I want to betroth her to Myself as an incorruptible bride.

Then Catherine fell to the ground and exclaimed:

“I am not worthy, O glorious Lord, to see Your Kingdom, but grant me at least to be with Your servants.”

At this time, the Most Holy Theotokos took the right hand of the young woman and said to Her Son:

“Give her, My Child, an engagement ring as a sign of Your betrothal to her, to take her to Yourself, in order to make her worthy of Your Kingdom.”

Then the Lord Christ gave the most beautiful ring to Catherine and said:

“Behold, I now choose you to be My bride, incorruptible and eternal.” So, with great care, preserve this union inviolably and do not choose any earthly groom for yourself.

After these words of Christ the Lord, the vision ended. The young woman awoke and saw clearly right hand your wonderful ring. She felt such joy and such joy in her heart that from that hour her heart was completely given over to Divine love. And such a great change took place in her that she no longer thought about anything earthly, but only incessantly day and night thought about her beloved Bridegroom, and she desired Him alone, she studied about Him alone in reality and in dreams.

Soon after Catherine converted to Christianity, the wicked Tsar Maximin arrived in Alexandria, having a zeal beyond reason for his soulless gods, being himself seemingly insensitive and dumb. Wanting to arrange a solemn holiday in honor of these gods, he sent an order to the surrounding countries and cities to gather all his subjects to make sacrifices in order to honor the gods publicly. Countless people gathered, and everyone brought what they could for the sacrifice: some oxen, some sheep, and those who were unable, brought birds, or something else similar. When the day of the vile celebration arrived, the king sacrificed one hundred and thirty calves - princes and nobles less, and each sacrificed what he could. The whole city was filled with the cries of slaughtered animals and the stench of sacrifices; everywhere there was terrible crowding and confusion, and the air was saturated with stinking smoke. When this happened, the pious and most beautiful Catherine, at the sight of such a destructive temptation of human souls, was cruelly wounded in her heart, grieving over their death. Burning with Divine jealousy, she took several slaves with her and went to the temple where the madmen made sacrifices. When she stood at the door, everyone turned their gaze to her: for she shone with her extraordinary beauty, which testified to her inner spiritual beauty. She ordered the king to be informed that she had something very important to tell him. the right word. The king ordered her to come to him. Standing before the king, Catherine first bowed to him, giving him the due honor, then said:

- King, understand the temptation into which you are drawn by demons. You worship corruptible and insensitive idols as gods and serve them. It is a great shame to be so blind and crazy as to worship such abominations. Believe your sage Diodorus, who says that your gods were once people and died their lives wickedly, but for the sake of some of the deeds they committed during their lives, people built monuments and statues for them. Subsequent generations, not knowing the thoughts of their forefathers, who only for the sake of remembrance erected these monuments to them, but, thinking that the thing itself was pious and decent, began to worship them as gods. And the famous Plutarch of Chaeronea abhorred these gods and despised them. Believe, king, though these teachers, and do not be the culprit of the death of so many souls, for which you will be subjected to eternal torment. Know the One True God, ever-present, pre-existent and immortal, Who in the last years took upon Himself human flesh for the sake of our salvation. By him kings reign, countries are governed, and the whole world is held together. By His single word everything was created and maintains its existence. This all-powerful and all-good God does not require sacrifices like yours, and is not pleased by the slaughter of innocent victims, but only demands that we keep His commandments firmly and unshakably.

Hearing this, the king was inflamed with strong anger and at first remained silent for a long time. Then, unable to answer her words, he said:

“Leave us these days to perform the sacrifice, and then we will listen to your speeches.”

Having completed his ungodly celebration, the wicked king ordered Saint Catherine to be brought to his royal chambers and said to her:

“Tell us, girl, who are you, and repeat what you told us before?”

“I am the Tsar’s daughter,” answered the saint, “I am called Catherine.” Before I'm with great love I studied various sciences: I studied works of rhetoric, philosophy, geometry and other sciences, but now I despise all this as a vain and useless occupation, and became the bride of the Lord Christ, Who through His Prophet Isaiah said:

— “The wisdom of his wise men will perish, and his understanding will be lost among those who have understanding.”(Isa. 29:14).

The king was amazed at her speeches, at her extraordinary mind, but was even more amazed at her remarkable beauty and thought that she was not born to mortal parents, but to the gods whom he revered. Hardly agreeing to believe that a girl of such indescribable beauty was born from earthly beings, he, struck by her beauty and looking at her with a shameless gaze, began to speak seductive words. The saint, penetrating his lawless thoughts, said to him:

- The demons, whom you consider to be gods, seduce you and drag you into senseless lusts; I consider myself earth and dust; God created me in His image and likeness and endowed me with such beauty so that people would marvel at the wisdom of the Creator, Who could bestow such wisdom and beauty on such an insignificant and mortal face.

The king became embittered by these words and said:

“Don’t speak so badly about the gods who have immortal glory.”

But the saint objected to him:

“If you want to dispel the darkness and darkness of loveliness even a little, then understand the insignificance of your gods and know the true God. One utterance of His name alone, or one cross depicted in the air, drives away your gods and crushes them; and if you want, I will clearly prove to you the truth of my words.

The king, seeing her free speech and fearing to be defeated and disgraced by her words, said to her:

“It is indecent for a king to talk to women.” But I will gather the wisest philosophers to talk with you, and you will recognize the insignificance of your opinions, and you will believe in our teachings.

Having said this, he ordered the holy maiden to be guarded with all severity. He himself immediately sent the following order to all subject cities:

- I, King Maximin, the wisest philosophers and I wish to rejoice in the vitii in my regions. All who serve the wisest god Hermes, and who call upon the muses as teachers of reason, gather to me in order to block the lips of one wise maiden who has appeared in these days and mocks the great gods, calling all their deeds fables and idle talk. So, come to show all your wisdom, for which people will glorify you, and from me you will receive a reward for your work.

And so gathered, in the number of fifty people, the chosen and wisest leaders, distinguished by great acuity of mind and with great power in a word. The king addressed them with these words:

- Prepare with all care and attention for a valiant competition with one girl so that you can overcome her with your evidence in a dispute about the gods; do not neglect the fact that you will have a conversation with a young maiden, but make all your efforts and show your wisdom as if you had to confront a courageous opponent and the wisest speaker; because she, as I carefully elicited, surpasses in wisdom the great Plato himself. Therefore, I beg you, show in a dispute with her the same diligence that you would have if you were competing with this sage himself. If you win, I will reward you with great gifts; if you are defeated, then you will have great shame, and instead of gifts you will accept a painful death.

To these words of the king, one, the most glorious and wisest, Vitia replied:

“Don’t be afraid, king: perhaps our opponent is unusually smart, but as a woman, she cannot have wisdom in full perfection, and be completely skilled in eloquence; Just tell her to come to us, and you will see that as soon as she sees so many philosophers and speakers, she will immediately be ashamed.

Hearing this boastful speech of the philosopher, the king calmed down and rejoiced, hoping that the wicked and arrogant tongue of the scientists would defeat the maiden full of meekness and Divine wisdom. He immediately ordered her to be brought to him. Many people also gathered to listen to the dispute between the Christian maiden and the pagan sages. But before the messengers had time to come to Catherine, Archangel Michael appeared to her from heaven and said:

- Do not be afraid, virgin of the Lord! Your Lord will add more wisdom to your wisdom, and you will win the debate of those fifty revolutions. And not only they, but also many others will believe through you and receive the crown of martyrdom.

Having said this, the Angel departed.

Meanwhile, the king's messengers came to Catherine and, taking her, brought her to the king and the philosophers for everyone to see. And immediately that arrogant philosopher, who had previously boasted so much, proudly turned to Saint Catherine:

“Is it you who condemn our gods with such impudence and madness?”

“I,” the saint meekly answered him, “but not with insolence and not with madness, as you said, but with meekness and love for the truth, I say that your gods are nothing.”

Then the philosopher said to her:

Troparion, tone 4:

With virtues, like the rays of the sun, you enlightened the unfaithful sages, and like the bright moon you walked in the night, you drove away the darkness of unbelief, and you convinced the queen, and you also exposed the tormentor, the divinely called bride, blessed Catherine: with desire you ascended into the heavenly chamber, to the beautiful Bridegroom Christ, and from him you were crowned with a royal crown: to Him, with the angels who are present, pray for us, creating your most honorable memory.

Plutarch of Chaeronea is a famous Greek historian. Chaeronea is a city in Central Greece.

Hermes (Hermias) or Mercury was considered the messenger of the gods, the patron of trade and speakers, and was one of the most popular pagan gods. Thus, the ignorant population of the cities of Lystra and Lycaonia was so amazed by the miracles of the Apostles Paul and Barnabas that they called Barnabas Zeus, and Paul Hermias, because he was in charge of the word. (Acts 14:12).

Goddesses who were considered the patroness of sciences and arts.

Plato is a famous Greek philosopher of the 4th century BC, a contemporary and teacher of the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle. Plato is a student of the famous and glorious philosopher Socrates. It is remarkable that in his philosophical views Plato, especially in the doctrine of God, the creation of the world in afterlife, comes close to Christian teaching.

Here we mean Homer, Virgil and other poets. In general, the pagans mainly drew tales about their gods from poetic works.

Homer is one of the most learned and famous Greek poets, who lived long before Christ. He wrote the famous poems: “Iliad” and “Odyssey”.

Zeus (or Jupiter) is a Greco-Roman god, revered by pagans as the ruler of heaven and earth, the father of all gods and people.

Orpheus is a legendary figure who enjoyed special respect among the pagans.

Apollo or Phoebus, the son of Zeus and Latona, is one of the most revered Greco-Roman pagan gods. He was revered as the god of the sun and mental enlightenment, as well as the well-being of society and order, the guardian of the law, and the deity of predicting the future.

It seemed especially wild to the pagans that Christians worshiped the Crucified One, since execution on the cross was considered shameful. Therefore, the Apostle Paul says that preaching about the crucified Christ is madness for the Greeks (i.e., pagans) (1 Cor. 1:23).

Hera (Juno) was revered by the ancient Greeks and Romans as the sister and wife of their main god Zeus, the most revered among the goddesses; was considered the goddess of earth and fertility and the patroness of marriages. Poseidon was considered the god of the seas. Athena was considered the goddess of wisdom, mainly military. The above passage is borrowed from the Metamorphoses of the Roman poet Ovid. In general, the gods of the Romans and Greeks, according to their beliefs, were distinguished by the same passions and criminal inclinations as people.

In ancient times, soothsayers were called sibyls by the Romans. Their predictions were combined into three books, which were kept in the Temple of Zeus (Jupiter) Capitoline, and then in the Temple of Apollo on the Palatine Hill. These "Sibylline Books" were deeply respected in the pagan world. Christian writers also paid attention to their predictions, finding in them some hints of the coming of the Kingdom of Christ.

Apollonius of Tyana - pagan sage who performed false miracles and attracted many followers (3rd century). His sayings, recorded in a special book, especially enjoyed deep respect in Alexandria, where such a book was kept in the most secret, sacred place of a pagan temple.

Crimson is a long, purple, blood-colored garment that was very highly valued in ancient times and was considered a part of the royal rank.

Artemis - otherwise Diana - was a well-known pagan goddess among the Greeks and Romans, who enjoyed special worship among them (she was considered the goddess of the moon, and was portrayed as a beautiful, bright maiden-hunter).

Memory of St. Queen Augusta (or Vasilisa) is celebrated by the Church on November 24; At the same time, the Church remembers Porfiry and 200 soldiers, beheaded for confessing Christ.

Adamant (diamond) is a stone that is so strong that it cuts and cuts other stones without being harmed. This name in church literature is given to many saints (especially the fathers and teachers of the Church), famous for the firmness of their faith and character.

And to this day in Alexandria they show pious travelers the place of the murder of the Great Martyr Catherine, which has always enjoyed special reverence from local Christians. Some of the citizens of Alexandria, illuminated by faith in the crucified Lord, have even preserved to this day a small marble column on which, according to legend, the venerable head of the holy great martyr was truncated. This column is now reverently kept in the Alexandria Orthodox monastery of St. Sava and stands in the left aisle of the temple dedicated to the name of this saint.

For a long time, the holy relics of Catherine remained unknown in the ground, and were discovered only after 200 years. It happened like this. Once, approximately in the 30-40s of the 6th century after the Nativity of Christ, the brethren of the Sinai monastery, founded by the Byzantine emperor Justinian, 800 miles from Alexandria, were miraculously informed from above that the relics of the holy Great Martyr Catherine rested incorruptible not far from them, and at the same time they received a command transfer them to the newly created temple of the Sinai Monastery. The pious elders joyfully hurried to the mountain indicated to them not far from the monastery. This elevation reached up to 1200 fathoms; but the hermits, driven by religious inspiration and assisted by the grace of God, overcame all the difficulties of the path and soon reached its peak, where they found the holy relics of the Great Martyr Catherine incorrupt and fragrant. Only the Angels could have put them here. - The relics of St. Catherine were not completely recovered, but only her head and left hand. These parts of the incorrupt body of the praiseworthy martyr of Christ, then solemnly transferred to the Sinai monastery, still rest in this monastery, remarkable in its antiquity. In 1689, Russian Emperor Peter the Great donated a silver-plated shrine to the Sinai monastery for the relics of St. Catherine. But this gift is kept in the sacristy. “Fear from the greed of Muslims, from the publicity of travelers,” notes the famous Bishop Porfiry, who was in Sinai, “taught the Sinaiists to hide this treasure.” Currently St. the relics of the Great Martyr Catherine are preserved in a small marble shrine in the altar of the great temple of the Sinai monastery in the name of the Transfiguration of the Lord, on right side throne. The holy head of the bride of Christ is now covered with a golden crown, and on one finger she wears a precious ring, in memory of the mysterious betrothal of St. Catherine with the Heavenly Bridegroom - Christ. In the reliquary, the holy parts of the relics rest on a silver tray, under which lies a thick layer of cotton wool, imbued with the fragrance of the shrine. When parts of the relics are taken out for veneration by the brethren, they are placed in the middle of the temple, along with many other remains of the shrine, on a table specially prepared for this purpose. Relics of St. Catherine's Church is revealed to a distant admirer at any time, but to the brethren and nearby strangers - only at the end of Matins on the Lord's holidays.

The memory of Saint Catherine is honored in everything Orthodox world with special reverence and solemnity. Churches are built in her honor, many monasteries are named after her; very many Orthodox and non-Orthodox Christians bear her name. The glory of this martyr was great in ancient times. Paula, the famous Roman woman who founded the monastery in Bethlehem in 386, dedicated a temple to the martyrs in it. Catherine, about whom St. Epiphanius told Pavle that Catherine was born on the island of Cyprus, in the mountains. Salamis, in its bishopric, from there it moved to Alexandria, was in St. places in Jerusalem, before a manger in Bethlehem, she took a vow of virginity and received a ring from Christ. In the West, she is considered the patroness of young students, especially philosophy. The Holy Great Martyr is revered even by some of the pagans, for example, the Mongol-Buryats of Transbaikal.

That is, Augusta, wife of Maximin.

As for the service to the Great Martyr and the church hymns composed in honor of her, they relate to ancient times. In the 9th century, Theophanes of Nicaea, a famous Christian hymnist, and the unknown monk Babyl wrote many songs in honor of the Great Martyr Catherine, which are now Orthodox Church and are sung on November 24, the day of her repose. The Monk Theophan wrote in honor of St. Great Martyr canon, the outline of which concludes with the following thought: “I sing songs to Catherine of ever-memorable songs.”

Less than ten years remained before the Edict of Milan, which officially recognized Christianity. But at the beginning of the 4th century no one could even think about it. Horrible murders of Christians continued throughout the Roman Empire. In 309, Maximin Daza became emperor in Egypt and the east.

Maximin waged a methodical war against Christianity. Forged anti-Christian documents were distributed. The denunciation system regularly supplied new victims. Supervision over participation in public sacrifices became more careful. They became mandatory even for infants. All products sold were sure to contain the blood of sacrificial animals. All suspected Christians were asked to sign a document containing blasphemy against Christ and make a sacrifice to the idol.

During his next tour of the provinces, Maximin came to Alexandria. At the request of the emperor, this city was declared the capital of the next holiday in honor of the Olympian gods. Cattle were driven here from everywhere to be sacrificed.

In the midst of pagan celebrations, a girl entered the temple extraordinary beauty. She clearly belonged to high society. Maximin signaled her to approach. The girl called herself Catherine and addressed the emperor with rather bold words: “Recognize the temptation into which you are drawn by demons, for you consider corruptible and insensitive idols to be gods.”

Catherine turned out to be an excellent speaker. She denounced the madness of idol worship, calling famous Roman philosophers and historians as witnesses. Maximin, who respected scientists, but who himself had not read either Diodorus or Plutarch, was silent for a long time. Then, not knowing what to say, he proposed to postpone the conversation to a later time, when all the sacrifices would be made.

Catherine came from a royal family and not only received the best education for those times - she was a real expert in pagan literature and philosophy. Her extensive knowledge aroused admiration: many noble men wooed Catherine, but everyone received an invariable refusal. Her condition turned out to be practically impossible to fulfill: “I want to have as my groom no other than someone equal to me in learning.”

Catherine did everything as her mentor ordered. At night, the Queen of Heaven appeared to her with the Infant God. “Look,” she said Mother of God To my son, how beautiful and intelligent she is!”

But the Child turned away from Catherine. “She is so ugly and stupid,” He said, “that I cannot look at her... Let her first learn from the elder who gave her the icon!”

Waking up, Catherine hurried to her mentor. He told her about Christ and His teaching, then she wished to accept holy baptism...

After some time, the Mother of God and the Child appeared to the girl again, who this time did not turn away, but looked at her with meekness. As a sign of betrothal to the Heavenly Bridegroom, Catherine received a beautiful ring. From now on she did not part with him.

Soon after this event, Maximin arrived in Alexandria.

...Meanwhile, the celebrations ended. It's time to continue the conversation with Catherine about the origin of the gods. The emperor gathered a whole college of philosophers and ordered them to prepare for a verbal duel with the learned girl. And when Catherine began to cite the evidence of the pagan Sibyls about Christ, the philosophers were forced to remain silent. Maximin became furious and ordered the philosophers to be burned. Before their martyrdom they confessed
And the emperor liked Catherine so much that he decided to achieve her favor by any means. He alternated persuasion with threats. Meanwhile, the courtiers listened to the words of the saint, and many began to doubt their gods...

Desperate to break Catherine’s will, Maximin ordered the girl to be beaten and imprisoned.

She was not given food. But Catherine did not starve: a dove brought food to the martyr every day. A few days later, the prison was visited by Augusta, the wife of Maximin, and Porphyry, a friend of the emperor and military leader. Both of them, seeing Catherine, bowed to the saint. She instructed them in the faith and predicted the crown of martyrdom for them.

Soon the emperor demanded the prisoner to appear in court. Again I marveled at her beauty. Again he offered to make sacrifices to the gods. Again I received a firm refusal. The saint was tied to an instrument of torture. Suddenly it broke into pieces...

Maximin was overcome with furious anger. And he decided to put an end to the saint once and for all by beheading her. While Saint Catherine was being led to the appointed place, her recent friends and noble women walked next to her. Crying, they urged her to take pity on herself and obey the emperor. Catherine walked calmly. She knew: she didn’t have long to wait and she would see the One to whom her soul had been yearning all her life.

The warriors did their job, but instead of blood they saw... milk. The believers did not find the body of the saint. It was found on Mount Sinai. According to legend, he was carried there by Angels.

The veneration of Catherine began immediately after her death. On the icons the Great Martyr is depicted in rich clothes and a royal crown, as befits the bride of Christ. Often icon painters place in their hands a holy scroll with the inscription: “Lord God, hear me, and grant absolution to those who remember the name of Catherine, and at the hour of their departure, see them off in peace, and give them a place of peace.”