On the left, an Initial O with St. Barbara, beginning her Suffrage, and on the right, an Initial B with St. Nicholas, beginning his Suffrage Suffrages in books of hours were prayers dedicated to various saints. St. Barbara was a third-century saint martyred at the hands of her own father, a pagan. According to her legend, her father locked her away in a tower to keep her from her suitors. Her attribute is, therefore, a tower with three windows. The three windows commemorate the Trinity. St. Nicholas of Myra, a town in modern day... Initial U with St. Catherine of Alexandria, beginning her Suffrage St. Catherine of Alexandria is a fourth century saint who was martyred after trying to persuade the Roman emperor Maxentius to stop persecuting Christians. Maxentius condemned her to death by torture on the 'breaking wheel.' When she touched the wheel, however, it shattered into pieces, and Maxentius was forced to behead her. The wheel became her attribute. St. Catherine's wisdom was... Text page Initial M with Mary Magdalene, beginning her Suffrage Mary Magdalene, Christ's beloved follower, was revered in the Middle Ages as the model for penitential devotion. Her attribute, an ointment jar, refers to her act of anointing Christ's body in preparation for his burial. Script: Hybrida
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