The Shrine of the House of Saint Catherine

Back wall

Occupied in the center by the altarpiece by Fungai, the wall holds on the sides two paintings made by Riccio not long before he died (1571) and perhaps completed by Arcangelo Salimbeni. The one on the left shows Jesus holding out to Catherine the little cross the Saint had given Him when He was in the guise of a beggar; the one on the right presents the Saint giving her cloak to Jesus, who appears as a pilgrim. These are just two of the miraculous events which studded Saint Catherine’s life and testify to her outstanding spirit of charity. They are also depicted in two canvases inside the Basilica of San Domenico, in the Chapel of the Vaults, where these episodes took place.