Cecilia, Clement I and Catherina of Alexandria

The woman on the left is Catherine of Alexandria, one of the most popular saints during the Middle Ages. Her feast day is on 25 November. Because she refused to renounce her faith, she was condemned to die on the wheel. However, the wheel she was to die on was destroyed by lightning, so it was decided to kill her by decapitation. The attributes she carries - the wheel and the sword - are symbols of her martyrdom. In the middle we see Pope Clement I, whose feast day is on 24 November. According to legend, he died by drowning. On his right another popular saint is depicted: Cecilia of Rome. The music was still playing at her wedding when she let her husband know she wished to remain a virgin. She is often depicted with an organ, but in the northern parts of the Netherlands she also carries a falcon to denote her noble birth.