The Shrine of the House of Saint Catherine

Left wall

The left wall of the oratory is taken up by the last two scenes: the first depicts The Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine, in which the saint gives herself totally to Christ, while the second shows her Mystic Motherhood. This scene refers to an episode reported by Raymond of Capua in the Legenda Major: on Christmas Eve, Our Lady appeared to Catherine and placed the Baby Jesus in her arms, in this way making her a ‘mother.’  The Saint had a maternal relationship with her disciples, to the point that for her followers of yesterday and today she was, and continues to be, “mother and teacher.”
  • Alessandro Franchi and Gaetano Marinelli, The Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine, 1896.
  • Alessandro Franchi and Gaetano Marinelli, The Mystical Motherhood of Saint Catherine, 1896