Catherine was the daughter of Constas, ruler of Alexandria in Egypt during the reign of Emperor Maximin (305-313). Living in the capital, the center of Hellenic scholarship, Catherine possessed rare beauty and intelligence, and had a brilliant education. Many noble young men sought the hand of the beautiful Catherine, but she wanted to marry only someone who would surpass her in wealth and wisdom.

Catherine's mother, a secret Christian, took her to her spiritual father, the holy elder, for advice. After listening to Catherine, the elder said that he knew a Young Man Who surpassed her in everything, because "His beauty is brighter than the sun, His wisdom governs all creation..." So Catherine learned about Christ and joined the Christian faith, accepting the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Her consecration was preceded by a miraculous sign: while in a dream, Catherine saw the face of the Savior and received a ring from her Heavenly Bridegroom, which was preserved on her hand upon awakening.

Having known the joy of communion with Christ, she rejected all worldly pleasures and pleasures that were quite accessible to her – the daughters of a royal family. She followed Christ so resolutely that many pagans, after a brief conversation with her, became Christians. However, all those who believed in One God, by order of the pagan emperor Maximin, were severely persecuted and sacrificed to pagan gods. The holy love for the Christian martyrs prompted Catherine to go to the chief priest and ruler of the empire. First, she turned to God 50 pagan philosophers, convened in order to convince her, then the wife of the pagan emperor Augustus, then the commander Porphyry and 200 soldiers. But all of them, like other Christian converts, were immediately executed.

For her faith, the beautiful young woman herself suffered martyrdom at the hands of her tormentors.

Every year on December 7, the Orthodox Church blesses the memory of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine.