The History
The Dominican complex of Santa Caterina is located in the heart of Palermo's historic center. The perimeter of the area is bordered to the north by Via Vittorio Emanuele, to the west by Piazza Pretoria, to the south by Piazza Vincenzo Bellini, and to the east by Via degli Schioppettieri.
Founded by the wills of Benvenuta Mastrangelo and her mother Palma Abbate after 1311, the religious building has undergone numerous changes over the centuries, also because it has been continuously inhabited from the fourteenth century until almost the present day. The monastery's location in the city center and its access to significant financial and real estate resources made it the wealthiest religious institution in Palermo. The prescriptions of the Council of Trent persuaded the nuns to expand their available spaces, leading to the construction of a new dormitory and a large, magnificent church.
The new church of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria was built over a period of thirty years, starting in 1566, and was inaugurated on November 24, 1596, on the occasion of the Saint's feast day. Construction began during the prioresship of Sister Maria del Carretto, but the official consecration took place later, in 1664, in the presence of the Archbishop of Palermo and the Viceroy Francesco Caetani. After the unification of Italy, following Royal Decree no. 3036 of July 7, 1866, religious orders were suppressed, and a large portion of ecclesiastical property was confiscated by the state.
The monastery continued to be entrusted to the care of the Dominicans, but it lost ownership of all its assets. To ensure the nuns' livelihood, only a pension was granted. Numerous wartime events did not spare the Santa Caterina architectural complex, which was hit by Garibaldian bombs on May 27, 28, and 29, 1860. The part of the complex facing the Cassaro (as is clearly visible in a stereoscopic photograph by Eugène Sevaistre) suffered significant damage. During World War II, the monastery's buildings around the cloister were destroyed. In 2014, the last three Dominican nuns were transferred to Rieti, to the monastery of Sant’Agnese. The building, owned by the FEC, has been restored and is now managed by the Archdiocese of Palermo.
The monastery is structured on three floors
On the first floor, it's possible to visit the prioress's room (the mother superior's office), the sacristy, and the common living areas, including the cloister, refectory, and chapter room. The second floor contains the cells, the great choir, the matroneums, and the small choir. Finally, on the top floor, there are the terraces, once covered, which offer a panoramic view of the entire city.
The church is a masterpiece of Sicilian Baroque art
The building has a single nave, with side chapels and a central dome. The simplicity of the sixteenth-century exterior facade doesn't prepare the visitor for the majestic richness of the decorations: polychrome marbles, frescoes, stucco, gilding, and relief sculptures.Over the centuries, the most important artists of the period contributed to this masterpiece, including the architects Giacomo Amato, Antonio Grano, Gaetano Lazzara, and Andrea Palma; the master sculptors Giovan Battista Ragusa and Gioacchino Vitagliano, the Marinos and Antonio Rizzo. For the frescoes, Francesco Sozzi and Alessandro D’Anna, Filippo Randazzo, Vito D’Anna, and Paolo and Antonio Filocamo should be remembered.
