When the emperor's son wooed the well-educated daughter of the King of Cyprus, she recognized in a mirror that her suitor is unsuited to her in terms of aristocracy, beauty, wealth and wisdom, whereupon a hermit impressed upon her that Jesus Christ was the best and advised her to approach the Madonna.  However, the Virgin rejected her until she was baptized.  Thereafter she had a delightful dream that the Christ child had placed an engagement ring on her finger. She was asked to take part in the sacrificial festival of Emperor Maxentius in Alexandria, but refused and explained to him with learned words that his Gods were idols.
 
Finally, Catherine herself was bound and taken prisoner.  In the dungeon, a white dove brought her food and an angel comforted her.  Frightened by dreams she has had, the empress asked the prison guard to let her in to see Catherine and thy both saw angels anointing their wounds.  Catherine is then able to convert them and go with two hundred soldiers to Christ … But the Emperor had them all cruelly tortured and Catherine beheaded.  Angels carried away her body to Sinai and put her in a “graceful grave made from marble”.

These events from Catherine’s life were depicted in illuminated manuscripts from the thirteenth century onwards.  The person Catherine has been a familiar personage since the twelfth century, and has been portrayed with a crown on a multitude of illustrations, clothed for the most part in royal garments.  Her distinguishing mark is often simply a part of a wheel with nails, in addition a sword, palm tree or cross, beneath her feet several philosophers or the emperor or as a separate crowned figure. Often called on as helper in the face of suffering, bereft of speech, she is often portrayed as one of the “Virgines capitales", along with Barbara and Margareta.  She is often claimed as the patron saint of universities, but also by Wagner and Müller.