Catherine of Alexandria is a saint of Christianity.
Saint Catherine of Alexandria , also known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine is , according to tradition , a Christian saint and virgin , who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the pagan emperor Maxentius . Over 1,100 years following her martyrdom , Saint Joan of Arc identified Catherine as one of the Saints who appeared to her and counselled her . Joan of Arc ( Jeanne d'Arc , [ ʒan daʁk ] ; 6 January c. 1412 -- 30 May 1431 ) , nicknamed `` The Maid of Orléans '' ( La Pucelle d'Orléans ) , is considered a heroine of France for her role during the Lancastrian phase of the Hundred Years ' War and was canonized as a Roman Catholic saint .