The architecture of the Basilica and the Chapel of the Vaults
The interior of the Basilica of San Domenico is in Cistercian Gothic style and made of bricks. The facade, devoid of decorations except for the rose window, impresses with its essentiality. A part is covered by the Chapel of the Vaults, where the painting by Andrea Vanni depicting Saint Catherine of Siena is located. The work is significant because it was created while Catherine was still alive.
Frescoes, works, and relics of Saint Catherine
Inside the basilica, one can admire frescoes and works that tell the life, visions, and strength of Saint Catherine, a figure capable of speaking to popes, kings, and peoples.
To the right of the facade is the entrance to the cloister from 1425, which features a single nave with exposed trusses and a series of chapels. Among the preserved works are several paintings, a wooden crucifix from the 14th century, a wooden Pietà, and the Nativity of the Madonna, considered the masterpiece of Casolani from 1584.
Along the right wall of the Basilica of San Domenico is the frescoed Chapel of Saint Catherine, built by Niccolò Bensi in 1466 to house, on the marble altar of Giovanni di Stefano, the sacred head of the Saint. Also along the right side of the church, in a case inserted into the wall, is the relic of Catherine's thumb.
The bell tower and the celebrations of April 29
The bell tower was built in 1340, but its current height was reduced following the earthquake of 1798.
Every year, on April 29, the feast in honor of Saint Catherine of Siena, the thumb relic is brought to Piazza del Campo and used to impart blessings to Italy and Europe, of which Catherine is the patron.
