Santa Caterina Church

"An interesting combination, some modern art in the Catholic church, but that's also art, isn't it, and of course beautiful paintings and paintings, so for history and art lovers it's definitely something to see."

karol galuba

"Visited thanks to the FAI Spring Days 2024, the Church of Santa Caterina is an example of Baroque art, unique in the city of Lucca but rare in Italy. It was once a place of worship for the women who worked at the Manifattura Tabacchi, across the street, where the Tuscan cigar was made. When it was registered by the FAI, it had been closed for 40 years and the roof was in danger of collapsing, while the frescoes, attacked by time and the presence of pigeons, suffered significant damage. It was 2010, and it was included among "places of the heart," coming third among voters' choices. This raised awareness among organizations and institutions and led to the restoration of both the roof and interior, completed in 2014, returning to the public a "pearl" in the local artistic context. Nonetheless, the FAI was interested in reviving the historic organ, which needed careful and delicate restoration, completed in 2018. The "original" materials and workmanship were chosen, one example being the use of both lambskin and sheepskin tanned with alum (a mineral from the "double salts" family used for its astringent properties and as a mordant in the treatment of wool; to embalm animals and human bodies, but also in the treatment of wood, which in the past, during the Medici era, led to the Sack of Volterra in 1472 and to "friction" with the Church itself, which controlled it thanks to the Tolfa deposits). In April 2022, the organ was brought back to life and to spread its notes... quite a bit, I'd say. The church dates back to 1575, but it was thanks to the 1738 renovations, which also involved the adjoining Dominican Tertiary convent, by architect Francesco Pini, a student of Filippo Juvara, that we see it today in the Baroque style. The design for the structure was based on an oval plan, with the façade on the corner of Via del Crocifisso and Via Vittorio Emanuele II. The designs for the interior decoration are (perhaps) by Silvestro Giannotti, while the two marble statues depicting Charity and Purity, flanking the High Altar, are by Giovanni Antonio Cybei, at least that's what Father Grammatica tells us in his Sacred Guide to Lucca (although in the early 1900s, Giovanni Lazzoni was mentioned). Father Drammatica also tells us that the "architecture of the Dome," with its elliptical plan, is by Bartolomeo de' Santi (the vault opens into a space communicating with the attic of the building, which joins the structure without the use of a lantern), while all the figures in "The Glory of Saint Catherine" are by Lorenzo Castellotti. From below, the viewer has the illusion of a Dome where all the figures are ascending. The effect is determined by the distance of the figures from the human eye; the figures display varying degrees of perfection, so much so that next to the Saint, we can see the Eternal Father, Christ, and Mary, more evanescent, to "emphasize" the ascent to infinity. The scene is bathed in natural light from the large windows located under the eaves, in the attic, and... the trick is complete. Thanks to the soft colors chosen, the scene appears more radiant. The church also has a "window" through which the cloistered nuns could receive the sacraments unseen, as well as the Wheel of Life. On the upper floor, which is accessed via steep stairs, large windows closed with grates allowed the nuns to follow religious services unseen by "worldly" eyes."

Michele De Gruttola

"The Church of Santa Caterina, also known as the Church of the Cigar Makers because it is located near the Tobacco Factory, is one of the finest and most original examples of Baroque religious architecture in Lucca. Unique for its angular façade and oval-shaped structure, it was built between 1738 and 1748 by Francesco Pini, radically modifying a previous building. The designs for the sumptuous interior decoration are perhaps by
Silvestro Giannotti. The two statues depicting Charity and
Purity are attributed to Giovanni Lazzoni
and Giovanni Antonio Cybei. The wall paintings and the illusionistic decoration of the dome are by
Bartolomeo De Santi. A large oval canvas depicting "The Esatasi of Saint Catherine" by
Pompe Batoni, now housed in the
Palazzo Mansi Museum, was placed on the high altar.
After decades of abandonment, the church was restored by the Italian Environment Fund and returned to the city in 2014."

Ugo Baroni