The Church of Santa Caterina is an example of Baroque art and is one of the richest and most decorated churches in Palermo.
It is located in the historic center of the city, in Piazza Bellini, in front of the Martorana and San Cataldo churches.
It is also known as the “Church of Santa Caterina delle Donne”, in reference to the fact that the structure provided assistance to women of the weaker classes, while later it became a place of seclusion for noble women who brought large sums to the monastery, from 1311 until 2014.
Built around 1310, work was resumed in 1566 and was not completed until 1596. The dome was added in the mid-eighteenth century.
The structure suffered damage both during the uprisings of 1848 and 1860, and during the bombings of 1943.
Interior of the church has a single nave, in the shape of a Latin cross. Along the nave there are six chapels, three on each side. The nave is elaborate and rich eighteenth-century decorations with a polychrome marble mantle. There are also semi-precious stones, such as lapis lazuli and amethyst.
Next to the church is the women’s monastery. Between 1566 and 1596 the entire complex of Santa Caterina became one of the most important cloistered monasteries for women in the city.
Inside there is the cloister with the fountain and citrus groves, the terraces from which to admire the city in all its beauty. The terraces were, until 1866, covered loggias protected by gratings: only through these precautions could the cloistered nuns occasionally overlook the city streets.
