Catherine of Alexandria

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, also known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel, was a noted scholar in the early fourth century who, at the age of only 18, went to the Emperor Maximinus II and tried to convince him of the error of his ways in persecuting Christians. She out-debated his own scholars and converted a number of his relatives and employees, who were promptly put to death. Catherine herself was condemned to death on the wheel, but it broke when she touched it, so she was beheaded. Angels then carried her body to Mt. Sinai, where a church and monastery were later built and named for her. Her symbol is the spiked wheel, and her feast day is 25 November.