Martyrdom of St. Catherine of Alexandria
Located on the left section of the lateral wall of Capela das Almas, this azulejo panel depicts the martyrdom of St. Catherine of Alexandria, its identity confirmed by the inscription at the bottom of the panel, “Sta Catarina é suppliciada” (“St. Catherine is put to execution”).
In the foreground, a group of turbaned, bearded men in Eastern dress stand behind Catherine, one of them holding a sword, poised to behead her. In front of her, three female figures, two women and a child, hold a cloth. Note: The sword isn’t visible in this panel because a street signal light mounted in front of the wall blocks that portion of the scene.
In the background, a walled town with a castle is visible. Three soldiers, two mounted, one standing. appear to be holding two men. Next to them is a wheel mounted on a horizontal rod, fixed between two wooden piers, a reference to the breaking wheel Catherine was originally sentenced to before it miraculously shattered, leading to her execution by beheading instead.
Two angels appear in the clouds above the scene, likely representing the tradition that angels carried her body away after her death, according to legend, to Mount Sinai, where a monastery bearing her name still stands today.
Explore more about Capela das Almas
– Capela das Almas: Azulejo-Covered Façade and Lateral Wall
– Capela das Almas de Santa Catarina: Official Plaque Placed by Porto City Council
Life of St. Francis of Assisi
– Capela das Almas: St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata
– Capela das Almas: St. Francis Embracing Christ on the Cross
– Capela das Almas: St. Francis Before Pope Honorius III
– Capela das Almas: St. Francis Performs the Miracle of the Spring
– Capela das Almas: The Death of St. Francis of Assisi
Life of St. Catherine of Alexandria
– Capela das Almas: The Mystical Marriage of St. Catherine
– Capela das Almas: The Martyrdom of St. Catherine of Alexandria
– Capela das Almas: Debate, Victory, and Martyrdom — The Story of St. Catherine
Copyright © 2026 by YatrikaOne. All rights reserved.
