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Church of Santa Caterina (Camerino)

Church of Santa Caterina (Camerino)

Type
Church
Municipality
Camerino (MC)

Source: site database, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

The Church of Santa Caterina (Chiesa di Santa Caterina) in Camerino is a deconsecrated building, begun in 1618. Today it is part of the Archivio di Stato (State Archives) of Camerino, which uses it as an auditorium and exhibition hall. Together with the former convent it forms the former convent complex of Santa Caterina. The interior is decorated with stuccowork and paintings and has choir lofts with gilded wooden balustrades.

Camerino sits on a hill at 661 m above sea level, between the Chienti and Potenza valleys. To the south it is closed off by the massif of the Sibillini Mountains.

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On the map

Points from the site database. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors · Protomaps.

History of the Church of Santa Caterina

The Dominican monastery of Santa Caterina da Siena was founded in 1608 by the Dominican nun Giulia Piccolomini Cicarelli. To complete it, she promoted the construction of the church, begun in 1618.

The complex was later put to other uses. The former church is deconsecrated. The Camerino section of the State Archives had been based in the church of the Annunziata since 1967, and in 1990 it moved into the former convent of Santa Caterina.

What to see in the Church of Santa Caterina

The main attraction is the interior of the former church. The walls have stuccowork and painted decoration. The choir lofts, the galleries for the singers, have gilded wooden balustrades.

The former convent next door houses some university departments and part of the State Archives. It is a building for work and study, not a museum.

How to visit the Church of Santa Caterina

The former church is used as an auditorium and exhibition hall by the State Archives and hosts cultural events. Access therefore depends on the events scheduled. Before setting off, it is best to ask the State Archives about entry and events.

For planning the visit: in Camerino snowfall is frequent and often heavy in winter. Summers are warm but rarely muggy, with thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening.

Where the Church of Santa Caterina is

The church is in Camerino, in the province of Macerata, in the Marche region. The town is set on hills, in the mountain area of the province.

Around the Church of Santa Caterina

Camerino has other places linked to the town's religious and artistic history. The Basilica of San Venanzio in Camerino has a late Gothic facade and keeps the Gothic Arca di San Venanzio (the saint's tomb) in its crypt. The former convent of San Domenico houses the Pinacoteca e Museo civici (civic art gallery and museum). Giambattista Tiepolo's altarpiece The Virgin Appearing to Saint Philip Neri, painted for the church of San Filippo, is now on display in the Diocesan Museum of Camerino. The church of the Santissima Annunziata was built between 1493 and 1508. On the southwest side of the town stands the Rocca Borgesca, built for Cesare Borgia in 1503.

Other churches in the area are gathered on the page about the churches of the Sibillini Mountains.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Church of Santa Caterina in Camerino still a church?

No. The building is deconsecrated and no longer used for worship. It is part of the State Archives of Camerino, which use it as an auditorium and exhibition hall. It hosts cultural events, so today its role is civic and cultural.

Who built the Church of Santa Caterina in Camerino?

Construction, begun in 1618, is owed to the Dominican nun Giulia Piccolomini Cicarelli. She had founded the monastery of Santa Caterina in 1608 and promoted the church to complete it. The building is therefore part of a Dominican convent complex.

What is in the former convent of Santa Caterina today?

The former convent houses departments of the University of Camerino and part of the State Archives. The State Archives section moved there in 1990. Before that it was based in the church of the Annunziata, where it had been active since 1967.

What can you see inside the former Church of Santa Caterina?

The interior of the former church is decorated with stuccowork and painted decoration. There are also choir lofts with gilded wooden balustrades. The building is used for cultural events and exhibitions, so the layout may change depending on the events under way.

Nearby

What to see nearby

Where to eat

Straight-line distances.