Catherine of Alexandria died.
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 . She was martyred around the age of 18 . 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 . Great Martyr or Great-Martyr ( μεγαλομάρτυρ , megalomartyr , from megas , `` great '' + `` martyr '' ) is a classification of saints who are venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Rite of Constantinople . A martyr ( Greek : μάρτυς , mártys , `` witness '' ; stem μάρτυρ - , mártyr - ) is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating , renouncing , refusing to renounce , or refusing to advocate a belief or cause as demanded by an external party .