Saint Catherine was born in Alexandria, Egypt,which was one of the biggest cities in the world at that time. Tradition has it that she was born from wealth, and at age 14, had a vision of a moving Mary and infant Jesus. She became Christian during a period of great Christian persecution. Even as a young teenager, she visited the emperor and chastised him for his cruelty. Rather than execute her, the emperor had her debate 50 orators. Moved by the Holy Spirit, she defended her faith to the point where she converted a number of pagans to Christianity. She was arrested and tortured. She refused all advances to convert and was eventually executed on a breaking wheel.