Where the Middle Ages Begin
According to hagiographers, (C)Katherine was a princess, the daughter of Roman governor named Constus. She was well educated, beautiful and highly intelligent. She converted to Christianity at the age of 13 or 14 and caught the eye of the Roman Emperor, Maxentius (278-318 AD).
Saint Catherine of Alexandria and her wheel have been well recognized symbols since the beginning of the Middle Ages. Here are 10 interesting tidbits about Saint Catherine:
I love to read. I also love books depicted in art. I became fascinated with Medieval and Renaissance pictures of women reading or with books. I noticed while I was walking around the National Gallery, Musèe Cluny and the Louvre recently that there are many beautiful images of women reading or with books. Saints, sinners, and laywomen; I wanted to share a few of my favourites. Here are 20 works of art of women and their books
Breaking Through the Stained Glass Barrier: The Voices of Etheldreda, Catherine of Alexandria, and Margaret of Antioch Delsigne, Jill Scripps College (2004) Abstract Saint Etheldreda, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, and Saint Margaret of Antioch seem frozen and silenced in their stained glass images; however, the stories of strong women, whether fantastical or real, spoke to […]
Masolino’s Saint Catherine of Alexandria: Mystic Saint or Female Role Model? Macdonald, Una (Published Online, 2007) Abstract In 1860 Jacob Burckhardt in his seminal book The civilization of the Renaissance in Italy argued that Renaissance women ‘stood on a footing of perfect equality with men’ and put forward the idea that the Renaissance represented a period […]
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