Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Catherine of Alexandria was one of the most represented saints in New Granada. Her image circulated widely between the second half of the 17th century and the first decades of the 18th, especially in Santafé. 

Her cult began in the East, around the 10th century. It later spread in Europe thanks to the crusaders. It was finally popularized in the West through The Golden Legend, although her story lacks evidence to support it. 

According to the author of the Legend, Jacobus de Voragine (1230-1298), Saint Catherine was born into a family of the Egyptian aristocracy. At an early age she decided to convert to Christianity after Christ appeared to her and took her as his fiancée. 

Catherine is usually represented as a young woman, as we see her in this portrait. 

The white tunic, the richly ornamented dark blue mantle and the delicate crown she wears evidence her noble origin. 

According to tradition, on a visit to Alexandria, Emperor Maxentius summoned his subjects to a ceremony in which he would offer sacrifices to pagan deities. Catherine heeded the emperor’s call, but challenged his authority, urging him to convert to Christianity. 

Such a gesture infuriated the ruler, who went, unsuccessfully, to a group of wise men who would refute Catalina. Then, Maxentius had her tied to a cogwheel, but it broke when it touched her body. Thus, the wheel became one of the attributes of this saint. 

Finally, Maxentius ordered the beheading of Catherine, so on the lower left side of the image you can see the sword with which the woman’s life was ended. 

Catherine of Alexandria holds a palm in her left hand, an attribute that identifies her as a martyr.