The wall opposite the altar, on either side of which are the two doors into the room, is occupied in its center section by a large niche, ordered built by a member of the Tolomei family for the governors of the Confraternity, who sat here during meetings. Inside it, Francesco Vanni painted in oils, in 1600, The Canonization of Saint Catherine, illustrating the solemn ceremony presided over by Pope Pius II in the presence of the Saint’s mortal remains. To the sides of this composition are Saint Bernard and Blessed Nera Tolomei, two Sienese religious who lived between the 13th and 14th centuries. Their presence in the picture is due to the fact that they belonged to the same family as the man who paid for the painting.

To the sides of the niche, above the doors leading into the oratory, are four paintings. The one at upper left, by Rutilio Manetti and his workshop, dated around 1635, shows Catherine as a Young Girl Surprised by her Father Praying with the Dove of the Holy Spirit above her Head, an episode that marked the moment when her family, who had opposed her vocation until then, decided to leave her free to follow her own path. Below it is a canvas by Pietro Sorri showing Jesus Offering Catherine Two Crowns, one of gold and the other of thorns. The Saint chooses the second one, affirming in this way her will to conform to the Passion of Our Lord.

The last two canvases, . . .