This story of Saint Catherine of Alexandria is so powerful!
A princess and a scholar, Catherine’s intellect and devotion led her to embrace Christianity in her teenage years. Her unwavering faith set her on a collision course with Emperor Maxentius, a confrontation that would lead to her martyrdom and give a macabre namesake to a firework and an instrument of torture.
Catherine’s challenge to Maxentius and her subsequent debate victory over his scholars are legendary. However, it was her later refusal to renounce her faith that led to her being condemned to die on a breaking wheel, an ancient method of execution designed to inflict excruciating pain. Miraculously, the wheel broke upon her touch, a reflection of her devoutness, though this divine intervention only led to her beheading afterwards.
This pious legend gave rise to the “Catherine wheel,” referring both to the torture device intended for her execution and to the firework that spins with vibrant sparks, mimicking the wheel’s supposed rotation.
In certain places around the world like Malta, the tradition of the Catherine wheel firework illuminates the skies during her feast day. Meanwhile, in art and iconography, the wheel serves as a symbol of her martyrdom, often depicted beside her in portrayals.
The Catherine wheel, in both its pyrotechnic and torturous forms, remains a morbid yet fascinating symbol of her sacrifice!
Photo credit: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons, Unbuttered Parsnip via Wikimedia Commons
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