Image: St. Catherine of Alexandria

Wall painting of St. Catherine of Alexandria, in a blocked-up window on the north wall. According to legend, she was an aristrocratic and well-educated Christian lady who refused the advances of Emperor Maximin, defeated pagan philosophers in a debate, was tortured on a spiked wheel that was shattered by angels, and finally beheaded by Maximin. She is the patroness of learning and teachers. The painting shows her high class through her clothing and her learning through the book she holds. Beneath her foot is the crowned head of Emperor Maximin. A monk with a scroll sits at the bottom left. Hailes Church, 12th century. Hailes, Gloucestershire, England.