Priory of Saint Catherine: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 23:02, 10 February 2024

Founded in A.S. LII, the Priory of Saint Catherine is a household composed of members who participate in various historical Arts & Sciences as well as Martial Activities in the SCA.

The badge of the Priory, *Sable, a Catherine’s wheel quarterly Or and argent surmounted by a flame gules charged with a goutte d'or.*

The Priory is involved in a variety of different research-based activities including:

Historical clothing / sewing
Historical headwear and accessories
Posament
Thrown weapons
Historical martial arts
Calligraphy and illumination
Sociocultural anthropology
- Italian Peninsula
- Sweden
- England
- France
- Scotland
- Welsh
- Finnish
Woodworking
Culinary
Intarsia
Translating primary source documentation
Historical apothecaries
Women’s lives
Historical theatre and costuming
Antler work & wirework
Blacksmithing
Service

Stained Glass, "14th-century St Catherine in Deerhurst Gloucestershire."

Origin

The Priory is named after a 4th-century Roman Catholic named Saint Catherine of Alexandria, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and the patron of philosophers and scholars. According to legend she was an extremely learned young person of noble birth who protested the persecution of an early minority group and who was able to defeat the most eminent scholars summoned to oppose her. Sentenced to death for converting to Christianity, the spiked wheel by which she was to be killed broke when she touched it. She is a notable virgin martyr and St. Joan of Arc claimed that Catherine was among the heavenly voices that guided her.

On September 23, 2017 a group of friends met to form a household that included their apprentices and students, working together to decide on the name: The Priory of Saint Catherine. The Priory maintains a strong emphasis on arts & sciences, immersive camping, historical research, and being a safe space for all members. The Priory is widely known for arts and service as well as martial activities.