Santa Caterina a Chiaia (also known as ''Santa Caterina martire'') is a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
church located on via Santa Caterina 76 in
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. It is located near
Piazza dei Martiri in the
Chiaia section of the city, near where Via Santa Caterina flows toward the tree-shaded Via Chiaia.
History
The church was built originally as a small family chapel, called "S. Caterenella", by the Forti family and then ceded to the
Franciscan
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
order, which expanded it by 1600,
[Chiesa Francescana S. Caterina a Chiaia]
/ref> thanks to donations, especially from the Gonzagas. The present church, however, is the result of a series of reconstructions, including a Baroque style as late as 1732 in the wake of a serious earthquake in that year."Chiesa di Santa Caterina a Chiaia", Ministero della Cultura
/ref>
Architecture
The tall facade is characterized by a representation of the ''Martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria''. The main entrance is marked by a plaque commemorating a restoration of the facade in 1904.
The church is in the shape of a Latin cross, with side chapels. In the center the dome built in 1601, which rests on four round arches developed on four pillars which delimit the center of the church. At the base of it there are eight bright windows from which the light rains into the inside.[
Art work in the interior is mostly dedicated to the life of Saint Catherine, including a prominent dome fresco (1916) by Gustavo Girosi.
]
References
External links
Church website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caterina A Chiaia Naples
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1732
Churches in Naples
18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy
Franciscan churches in Italy
Baroque architecture in Naples