Church of Santa Caterina in Naro
Davide Mauro - CC4.0
The Church of Santa Caterina in Naro is a fine example of Norman architecture, declared a National Monument in 1912.
It was built starting in 1366 by order of Matteo Chiaramonte, Count of Modica and Lord of Naro, on behalf of Frederick III, after the Peace of Castrogiovanni which put an end to the war between the Latin faction, composed of the Chiaramonte, Ventimiglia, Rosso, Lancia and Palizzi families, and the faction of Catalan origin, composed of the Moncada, Aragona and Valguarnera families, who were fighting for control of the island. It is believed that the building stands on the ruins of an older Muslim building.
The façade, in late Baroque style, dates back to a renovation carried out in the eighteenth century. It has a single portal flanked by two columns that support a segmental arch, in turn surmounted by a rectangular opening.
The interior, divided into three naves with apses, is characterized by pointed arches supported by sturdy cylindrical pillars. The central nave has two deep bays illuminated by long, narrow windows with pointed arches. The central apse has a ribbed cross vault supported by four corner pillars with capitals, is illuminated by a splayed slit window placed above the altar, has an entrance arch in Chiaramonte style and two mullioned windows with trefoils. The wooden trussed ceiling, which was originally painted, is noteworthy, and its style recalls the contemporary style of the church of Santa Maria dei Greci in Agrigento. On the walls and in the side apses it is still possible to admire traces of fourteenth-century frescoes depicting the Madonna with Child and Saint Michael the Archangel, attributed to Cecco da Naro, author, together with Simone da Corleone and Pellegrino Darenu, of the fresco on the ceiling of the Sala Magna of the Palazzo Steri in Palermo.
Among the works kept inside the church, of particular value are: the fifteenth-century baptismal font, carved from a single block of marble, which features the coats of arms of the Aragonese and the city of Naro; a Roman arch of Renaissance inspiration dating back to 1565 on which scenes of the Via Crucis and scenes of monastic life are depicted; a Pietà from 1400, work of the sculptor Giuliano Mancini; a wooden Crucifix from 1300.
Under the building, during recent restorations, a room dedicated to burial was brought to light with a burial pit and draining seats along the walls.
