Catherine of Alexandria, also spelled Katherine, was, according to tradition, a Christian virgin and martyr, who suffered martyrdom in the early 4th century at the hands of the emperor Maxentius. Acco
Caravaggio, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, 1598–99, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
Icon of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, with scenes from her martyrdom
Saint Catherine of Alexandria by Artemisia Gentileschi, c. 1619
The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherina by Anthony van Dyck, 1618-20.
The breaking wheel, also known as the execution wheel, the Wheel of Catherine or the Catherine Wheel, was a torture method used for public execution primarily in Europe from antiquity through the Midd
Catherine of Alexandria
…household, but Catherine refused, declaring that she had dedicated her life to Jesus Christ. The furious emperor condemned Catherine to death on a spiked breaking wheel, but at her touch it shattered. Maxentius ordered her to be beheaded. Catherine ordered the execution to commence. As per her legend, a milk-like…
Execution wheel (German: Richtrad) with underlays, 18th century; on display at the Märkisches Museum, Berlin
An execution wheel exhibited in the Museum of Cultural History Franziskanerkloster in Zittau, Saxony, Germany, dated 1775; bolted to the lower rim edge is an iron blade-like thrust attachment
Breaking-wheel machine used to execute Matthias Klostermayr, Bavaria, 1772
Illustration of an execution by wheel, Switzerland, 1513