Santuario di Santa Caterina

On the way via Galluza easy to find Santuario Santa Catarina. Entrance free. On the right there is a nice small cathedral from 18 c. and on the left the anciant kitchen of Benincasa house. The floor original from the 14 centuary. On the wall there are many paintings from the 16 centuary discibed the wonder of Santa Caterina. No photo and video, but nobody controll it, just a camera inside but not human.

This has a small chapel. When I visited the place, I started to feel more miracles in my life. So, I like to mention this place not just as place but as a blessing. If you are visiting Siena, Italy, you must visit this lovely chapel. Not much far from San Domenico church. And it is located in the Center of Siena. Very near to piazza del campo. Actually this is a sanctury with the chapel, art-filled oratory and Saint Catherine's frescoed cell. Initially this Sanctuary was the home of the Saint. Very peaceful and Relaxing chapel for prayers.

A must see if you visit san gimignano. The sanctuary is stunning. The paintings are exceptional. If you go. Prepare for a walk back up the hill.

A bit hidden, but very nice. I was there in mid-Oct, and if you show up around 10:30 in the morning, the sunlight passes the colored glass, high above the wall,, and hits a painting, with a person facing/looking towards the glass. Very cool effect. Would’ve attach a photo, but photo is not allowed.

The rainbow lights inside the church is magnificent and magical

its a haven of peace, easy to spend time to visit this place on the way to the center town. Free entrance.

In addition to St. Francis of Assisi Italians have another patron saint as a nation, namely Saint Catherine of Siena. A woman who, in her short earthly and great spiritual life, bore all the hardships and problems of the Church of her time. The shrine of St. Catharine of Siena presented us with the environment in which she lived during the 14th century. The native house of St. Caterina of Siena was transformed into a sanctuary in 1464 and there you can find many signs about her life. Catherine Benincas was born on 25 March 1347 in Siena, Fontebranda Street. She was the penultimate of the 25 children born in the large family as a twin sister with Giovanna that shortly after the birth dies. Her father Giacomo Benincasa and mother Lapa Piacenti were a wealthy family. They were engaged in dyeing fabric and leather. Siena was a rich city, and their wealth was based on the wool trade. Katarina since her childhood has been searching for silence, prayer, solitude, and regularly visits the nearby Basilica of Saint Dominic held by the Dominican Fathers. At only six years old (1353) she had her first vision. Over the roof of St. Dominic's Basilica, she saw a smiling Christ seated on a throne in papal garb accompanied by the apostles Peter and Paul and St. John the Evangelist. She decided to join the Dominicans, but as the family objected, she decided to cut her hair in protest. In isolation, she sought clarity and a path for three years. She watched God’s heart carefully to learn how to live according to God’s plans. Living in great intimacy with Jesus, in one vision Jesus instructed her to consecrate herself to the apostolate.Thus, she spent the rest of her life caring for the sick of the plague, visiting the poor, reconciling quarreling relatives, traveling, pursuing high politics and reconciling citys i states, advocating for the restoration of the Church and the return of Pope Gregory XI to Rome from Avignon. She found strength in the Eucharist. She did not eat anything for days, only receiving the Eucharist. So small, illiterate, St. Catharine became a Church scholar and co-protector of Europe: building in herself, in a deep dark cell, a place of encounter with God. She's worthy of awe. The House-Sanctuary consists of various environments, on the right the Chiesa del Crocifisso (Church of the Crucifix) (the artwork from which the St. Caterina received the stigmata in the Chiesa di Santa Cristina in Pisa in 1375), on the left the Oratorio Superiore (Upper Oratory) with beautiful majolica floor, the Oratorio della Camera frescoed in 1896 by Alessandro Franchi, and the Chiesa di Santa Caterina in Fontebranda, with a wooden statue by Neroccio and paintings by Della Pacchia and Sodoma.

Serene religious place at the border of the city center of Siena. This place is worth to pay a visit when you pass by. I was here in September 2021. Nice architecture and beautiful building !