Santa Caterina (Pisa)
Encyclopedia
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
, Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
It is mentioned for the first time, together with a hospital, in 1211. The current edifice was built between 1251 and 1300, by will of St. Dominic, and entrusted to the monks of his order
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
.
The façade (completed in 1326) has a pointed shape with white and grey marble, with, in the upper section, two order of small Gothic loggia
Loggia
Loggia is the name given to an architectural feature, originally of Minoan design. They are often a gallery or corridor at ground level, sometimes higher, on the facade of a building and open to the air on one side, where it is supported by columns or pierced openings in the wall...
s and a central rose window
Rose window
A Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in churches of the Gothic architectural style and being divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery...
. The interior, after a fire in 1651, is on a single large hall. Renovated in the 18th century, it houses works by Lippo Memmi
Lippo Memmi
Lippo Memmi was an Italian painter from Siena. He was the foremost follower of Simone Martini, who was his brother-in-law....
(Triumph of St. Thomas, 1363), Fra Bartolomeo (Madonna with Sts. Peter and Paul, 1511), Santi di Tito
Santi di Tito
Santi di Tito was an Italian painter of Late-Mannerist or proto-Baroque style, what is sometimes referred to as Contra-Maniera or Counter-Mannerism.-Biography:...
, Aurelio Lomi
Aurelio Lomi
Aurelio Lomi was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance and early-Baroque periods, active mainly in his native town of Pisa, Tuscany.He may have initially been trained by his father, Giovanni Battista Lomi, but soon he...
, Raffaello Vanni
Raffaello Vanni
Raffaello Vanni was an Italian painter of the Baroque.He was born at Siena. He first trained with his father, Francesco Vanni, who died in 1603. He was afterwards sent to Rome, and recommended to the care of Antonio Carracci. He became a follower of the style of Pietro da Cortona. He painted a ...
, Pier Dandini (all 16th-17th centuries) and marble sculptures by Andrea Pisano
Andrea Pisano
Andrea Pisano , also known as Andrea da Pontedera, was an Italian sculptor and architect.-Biography:Andrea Pisano was born at Pontedera, where he also died....
(Tomb of Archbishop Simone Saltarelli, 1343) and his son Nino Pisano
Nino Pisano
thumb|280px|"Euclid", panel from [[Giotto's Bell Tower]], now in the [[Museo dell'Opera del Duomo |Museo dell'Opera del Duomo]], [[Florence]].Nino Pisano thumb|280px|"Euclid", panel from [[Giotto's Bell Tower]], now in the [[Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (Florence)|Museo dell'Opera del Duomo]],...
("Annunciation", 1368). Also notable is the tomb of Gherardo Compagni, decorated with a late-16th century "Pietà" statue.
The wooden pulpit from the 17th century, according to the tradition, was that from which St. Thomas preached.
In 1320, Simone Martini
Simone Martini
Simone Martini was an Italian painter born in Siena.He was a major figure in the development of early Italian painting and greatly influenced the development of the International Gothic style....
executed the St. Catherine Polyptych, one of his most famous works, for the church. The painting is in now in the San Matteo Museum in Pisa.
The church is flanked by a bell tower with mullioned windows, attributed to Giovanni di Simone.