07 — Patroness of Learning

Catherine as the patron of philosophers, scholars, students, and the university — claimed by the University of Paris and the Sorbonne — and as the type of the learned virgin, the saint whose holiness is bound up with her intellect. This section sets out the patronages that flowed from the debate-legend, with firm claims distinguished from unverified ceremonial detail per METHODOLOGY §3.5.

Tradition: Pan-Orthodox (Great-Martyr)

This section treats the patronage that made Catherine beloved of the medieval schools. Patron of Philosophers and Students sets out the patronages flowing from the debate — of philosophers, scholars, students, teachers, jurists, and librarians; of the University of Paris and the Sorbonne; of the wheel-trades — and the wheel as her emblem, which lent its name to the firework and the torture-device, with a note on the Catherinettes. The Learned Virgin reflects on what the legend made of her learning, the one great virgin-martyr defined by wisdom, and holds the literary type and the venerated saint together.

Section Contents

• Patron of Philosophers and Students — Catherine as patron of philosophers, scholars, students, and the university (the Sorbonne); the wheel as emblem; the Catherinettes
• The Learned Virgin — Catherine as the type of the learned virgin; the meaning of her learning; the irony of the unhistorical learned saint

See Also

• The Debate with the Philosophers — the legend behind the patronage
• The Breaking Wheel — the wheel that became her emblem
• Iconography — the wheel and book in art
• Modern Scholarship — the scholarship on Catherine’s learning
• Orthodoxy Guide: Women in Orthodoxy — holy women in the Orthodox tradition

References

• “Catherine of Alexandria” and “Catherinette.” Wikipedia.
• Bernau, Anke. In St Katherine of Alexandria: Texts and Contexts, ed. Jenkins and Lewis. Brepols, 2003.
• Balliol College, Oxford (the college’s association with Catherine).
• Foley, Michael P. “The Life and Afterlife of St. Catherine of Alexandria.” New Liturgical Movement, 2021.