Casa di Santa Caterina in Italy, Siena resort
Rating: 7,5/10 (100 votes)  Casa di Santa Caterina represents the house where St. Catherine was born and lived. Catherine was the daughter of Jacopo Benincas – a dyer who lived with his wife and children in a house owned by a wool corporation. After the canonization of the saint in 1466, the City Commune acquired the building, and the townspeople turned it into a sanctuary. Construction work on the reconstruction of the building began from the premises used by the Benincasa family as a paint shop. Francesco di Duccio del Guasta worked on the chapel in the dyehouse. Corso di Bastiano, Urbano and Federighi da Cortona also worked on its design. At that time, the composition in the lunette `` St. Catherine with the Angels '' was created. In 1798, the facade of the building was destroyed by a strong earthquake. The restoration works were carried out in 1877, during which the facade acquired its original appearance. In the years 1465-1474, the chapel was modified into a small one-nave basilica with cross vaults. The vaults and walls of the chapel were decorated with frescoes depicting scenes from the life of the saint. The frescoes were painted by such famous artists as Vincenzo Tamagni, Sodoma, Girolamo del Pacchia and Giacomo Pacquiarotti. Nowadays, in the chapel you can also see the preserved statue of St. Catherine, created in the 15th century. The main altar of the basilica contains the Crucifix made by the students of the Pisa school in the 13th century. According to legend, just before this Crucifixion, Catherine received the stigmata. You should definitely visit Catherine's room, where the saint devoted herself to prayer. There are also some of Catherine's relics. Of interest is the Upper Chapel with its exquisite coffered ceiling, where you can also observe the masterpieces of Francesco Vanni, Pomarancio, Manetti, Riccio and Bernardino Fungai. The Sanctuary of St. Catherine, along with other attractions of the historical part of Siena, was is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.     We also recommend reading Palazzo Salimbeni in Italy, Siena resort Topic: Casa di Santa Caterina in Italy, Siena resort. |
