Great Martyr Saint Catherine of Alexandria - Baptism Icons Gifts

Catherine was the daughter of the ruler of Alexandria of Egyptian Constant during the reign of Emperor Maximinus (305 - 313). Living in the capital - the center of Hellenistic scholarship, Catherine, possessed rare beauty and intelligence, and had a brilliant education. Many noble young men sought the hands of the beautiful Catherine, but she wanted only to go out for someone who would excel her in wealth and wisdom.

Catherine's mother, a secret Christian, led her to consult her spiritual father, the holy elder. After listening to Catherine, the elder said that he knows the Youth who excels her in everything, for "His beauty is brighter than the sunshine, his wisdom governs the whole creation ..." So Catherine learned about Christ and joined the Christian faith by accepting the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Her church was preceded by a miraculous sign: while in a dream, Catherine saw the Savior's face and received a ring from her Heavenly Bridegroom, who remained on her hand on waking.

Having learned the joy of communion with Christ, she rejected all the worldly pleasures and pleasures that were for her - royal daughters, quite accessible. She followed Christ so decisively that many pagans, having briefly talked with her, became Christians. However, all believed in the One God by order of the pagan Emperor Maximin were subjected to severe persecution and sacrificed to the pagan gods. The holy love for the martyrs of Christians prompted Catherine to go to the chief priest and lord of the empire. First, she turned 50 pagan philosophers to God, convened in order to convince her, then the wife of the pagan emperor Augustus, then the commander of Porphyry and 200 warriors. But all of them, like other newly converted Christians, were immediately executed.

For her faith, the young beauty herself was martyred at the hands of the torturers.
Every year on December 7, the Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of St. Catherine the Great Martyr.