Saint Catherine of Alexandria (detail) by Raphael (1507-8)
Raphael’s painting of Saint Catherine of Alexandria dates from the end of the period when he was working in Florence before he moved to Rome. To place a standing female saint in a landscape marks a significant departure from earlier depictions of saints and holy figures. Raphael expresses Saint Catherine’s yearning for union with Christ in a visual language immersed in the beauty of the natural world. Saint Catherine whose cult was popular throughout Europe achieved sanctity as a virgin martyr during the reign of the Roman Emperor Maxentius in the early fourth century. Believed to be of royal birth, Catherine secretly converted to the Christian faith. Suitors, including the Emperor, were attracted to her great beauty and learning. Catherine steadfastly rejected their proposals of marriage, instead vowing herself to a heavenly bridegroom Christ. Catherine resisted the Emperor’s efforts to undermine her faith; her determination and fidelity to Christ so infuriated Maxentius that he sentenced her to death. Although she miraculously survived a series of grisly torments she was eventually beheaded. Raphael imagines Saint Catherine in a moment of intimate mystical engagement with her divine spouse. In keeping with Renaissance principles, the painter insists on locating this supernatural event in this world, the realm of human experience. The saint turns her head so that her gaze is directed towards light that streams from the sky above. She is illuminated by light, which symbolises the divine presence in the world. Thus both Catherine and by extension the physical world receive the gift of God’s love, epitomised by the light which illumines her face.
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