Church of Santa Caterina (Chiesa di Santa Caterina) description and photos - Italy: Palermo (Sicily) (Topic)

Church of Santa Caterina (Chiesa di Santa Caterina) description and photos - Italy: Palermo (Sicily). Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Chiesa di Santa Caterina.

Photo and description

The Church of Santa Caterina, located in the historic center of Palermo, adjoins a monastery founded in the 14th century by monks from the Dominican order. The construction of the church began in 1566 and was completed only at the end of the 16th century - in 1596. The dome and choir were added respectively in the middle of the 17th century and in 1863. One of the facades of Santa Caterina overlooks the central square of the city of Piazza Pretoria, crowned by the fountain of the same name, and the second one overlooks Piazza Bellini, where the beautiful churches of Martorana and San Cataldo are located.

The rich interior of the one-nave church of Santa Caterina during the Counter-Reformation is striking at first sight. The special arrangement of the main hall allowed the nuns, while remaining invisible, participate in liturgies - the choirs are placed at the entrance with the help of a support of two columns. The interior decoration, as in most other churches in Palermo, consists of luxurious marble finishes and frescoes that harmoniously fit into the architectural supporting elements. Among the artists who worked on the decoration of the church, it is worth noting Filippo Randazzo, the author of "The Triumph of St. Catherine" and "Glory of the Dominicans", written in 1744, and Vito D'Anne, the creator of the paintings "The Triumph of the Order of the Dominicans" and "Allegory of the Continents", written in the second half of the 18th century.

Not far from the church are various tourist attractions of the city, such as the historic square of Quattro Canti, Palazzo dei Normanni, Teatro Massimo and the city administration building located in Palazzo Pretorio on the square of the same name.

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Topic: Church of Santa Caterina (Chiesa di Santa Caterina) description and photos - Italy: Palermo (Sicily).