Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Catherine of Alexandria

Founded by Charlemagne in 805 as Magadoburg, the town was fortified in 919 by King Henry the Fowler against the Magyars and Slavs. In 929 King Otto I granted the city to his English-born wife Edith as dower. At her death, Queen Edith was buried in the crypt of the Benedictine abbey of Saint Maurice, later rebuilt as the cathedral. In 937, Magdeburg was the seat of a royal assembly. Otto I was buried as well in the cathedral. In 1035 Magdeburg received a patent giving the city the right to hold trade exhibitions and conventions. This was the basis of town law to become known as the Magdeburg rights. These laws were adopted and modified throughout Central and Eastern Europe. In the 13th century, Magdeburg became a member of the Hanseatic League. With more than 20,000 inhabitants Magdeburg was one of the largest cities in the Holy Roman Empire. During the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) Magdeburg was raided and probably 20.000 inhabitants lost their lives. A small group of 4000 people survived the "Sack of Magdeburg" by seeking refuge in the cathedral. Begging on hid knees before the conqueror the head priest saved them. - The construction of the "Cathedral of Saints Catherine and Maurice" started in 1209. Two years ago, the church that had been in this place since 932, burnt down with most of the town. This church is influenced by the then-new gothic style, developed in France. Otto I the Great and his wife Edith of England have their graves here. The construction stopped after 1274. In 1325, Archbishop Burchard III. was killed by the people of Magdeburg because of extreme taxes. Folklore says that especially the beer tax increase caused much anger. Afterward, Magdeburg was under a ban, and only after the donation of five atonement altars did the construction of the cathedral continue. In 1360 the construction stopped again for many decades. Only in 1477 did the construction start again. The towers were constructed by master builder Bastian Binder, the only master builder of the cathedral known by name. The construction of the cathedral was completed in 1520. Although the cathedral was looted several times during its history, many valuable furnishings and art treasures have been preserved, which were moved out and secured during the bombardments of WWII. According to legend, Catherine of Alexandria fascinated with her extraordinary beauty and cleverness. 50 scholars of the Roman Empire were so impressed by her argumentation that they unanimously converted to Christianity, although they had set out to refute Catherine... This annoyed the Roman emperor so much that, according to legend, both Catherine and the 50 philosophers were immediately sentenced to death around the year 307. With the construction of the new Gothic cathedral, St. Catherine appears next to Mauritius as the patron saint. This sculpture (opposite Mauritius) is assigned to her, although her typical attributes (the broken wheel) are missing. The sculpture dates from the same period as that of Mauritius (1250), possibly from the same workshop.

Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island, has a long history, that starts around 8000 BC, but later there were Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greek and Roman periods. After the Roman Empire had fallen apart the Vandals tried to take over the island but failed. Finally, the Ostrogoths took possession. Mid of the 6th century Sicily was conquered by troops of the Byzantine Empire. After the advent of Islam, Sicily got attacked by the Arab forces. Raids seeking loot continued until the mid-8th century. A Muslim army was sent to the island in 827 but met with much resistance. So it took a century to conquer it and even later revolts constantly occurred In 1038 the Byzantines invaded the island supported by Norman mercenaries, led by Roger. In 1072, after the siege of Palermo, most of Sicily was under Norman control. Roger´s son Roger II raised the status of the island to a kingdom in 1130. During this period, the Kingdom of Sicily was prosperous and powerful, The court of Roger II became melting out of culture from Europe and the Middle East. This attracted scholars, scientists, artists, and artisans. Muslims, Jews, Greeks, Lombards, and Normans cooperated and created some extraordinary buildings. In 1186 the last descendant of Roger, Constance of Sicily married Emperor Henry VI, the second son of Barbarossa. So the crown of Sicily was passed on to the Hohenstaufen Dynasty. Frederick II, the only son of Constance, was crowned King of Sicily at the age of four in 1198. He became "Stupor Mundi", one of the greatest and most cultured men of the Middle Ages. Palermo, founded in 734 BC by the Phoenicians, became a possession of Carthage and later was part of the Roman Empire. From 831 to 1072 the city was under Arab rule. Following the Norman conquest, Palermo became the capital of a new Kingdom of Sicily and the capital of the Holy Roman Empire under Emperor Frederick II and King Conrad IV. Once George of Antioch, Ammiratus (Admiral) of Rogers II of Sicily, who founded the Martorana, had his palace, where today Santa Caterina (here seen from the Martorana) is located between todays Piazza Bellini and Piazza Pretoria. In 1310 a nunnery under the direction of the Dominican Order had been founded, dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria. The existing church was rebuilt 1566 - 1596 and finally consecrated in 1664. The church combines Sicilian Baroque, Rococo and Renaissance styles.

With a population of about 10.000 Soest was the most important town in Westphalia within the 11th and 12th century. The "Soester Stadtrecht" ("Soest city law") is the oldest city law, documented in German territory. Soest was one of the most important Hanseatic cities in medieval times. During the "Soester Fehde" ("Soest Feud") it liberated itself from the Bishop of Cologne, who controlled Westphalia. During and after the Thirty Years' War, Soest suffered a tremendous loss population and influence. At the lowest point in 1756, it had only 3,600 citizens. Soest has still a couple of wonderful medieval, Romanesque churches, built with the regional greenish sandstone. The "Hohnekirche" (officially "St. Maria zur Höhe") is one of them. The church was built in its present form from 1180 and is one of the oldest hall churches in Westphalia. It replaced an older church here. The apse of the northern aisle is not semicircular but somehow shifted to the left. It is named "Katharinenchor", as the frescoes on the side walls theme around the legend of St. Katherina ("Catherine of Alexandria"). The paintings were hidden for centuries under a coat of paint, before they were reopened and restored in 1869. On the ceiling: Jesus crowns his mother Mary the Queen of Heaven, flanked by Katharina and Maria Magdalena. All have halos from very prominent gold stucco.

The Knights Templar founded a convent here with chapel dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene. Parts of this chapel may have been "incorporated" into Notre-Dame-de-Joie. Most of the nave, the transept and the apse date back to the 12th century. The many capitals seen here are very delicately carved, what is pretty unusual for Brittany. Some art historians see influences from Poitou-Charente. Often Catherine of Alexandria holds a wheel, sometimes she is even named "Saint Catherine of the Wheel". Catherine was sentenced to death on the breaking wheel, but, at her touch, this wheel was miraculously destroyed. As the wheel here is intact, the person seen cannot be Saint Catherine. Maybe this is apostle Simon the Zealot, as there is a saw as well. As Simon was martyred by being sawn in half, a saw can often be seen as his identifying attribute.