Medieval wall painting of St Catherine in All Saints, Little Wenham

This section of Medieval wall painting at All Saint's Church depicts St Catherine of Alexandria (c. 287 - 305). She holds a wheel, the instrument of her martyrdom and a symbol commonly associated with the saint. The life story of St Catherine states that the spiked wheel she was supposed to be executed on broke apart at her touch, so instead she was beheaded. At the English festival of Bonfire Night held in November each year, the 'Catherine Wheel' is a popular firework, shooting sparks from a wheel as it spins. Her ghostlike appearance in this painting is caused by the paint pigments deteriorating over almost 700 years.