Santa Caterina del Sasso
Santa Caterina del Sasso Ballaro (actually Eremo di Santa Catarina del Sasso Ballara ) was originally a hermitage. Today it is in the Italian municipality of Leggiuno in the province of Varese . In the 13th century, Dominicans converted the building into a monastery. This is the goal of many pilgrimages . It is located directly on Lake Maggiore and, like many former hermitages, is built on a rock in a difficultly inaccessible place. It can be reached today from the sea and land; the monastery can be reached via steep stairs or an elevator.
Building history
Construction began at the beginning of the 13th century, but the main work dates from around 1300/1320. The core of the building complex is the small church dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria is consecrated. The nickname del sasso means that this building stands on a rock; Sasso Ballaro refers to a rock slide in 1640 that caused considerable damage. Sasso ballaro roughly means rocking rock.
According to tradition, the merchant Alberto Besozzi founded the monastery after successfully surviving a shipwreck on the lake. He later became a hermit and is buried in the church. In 1230 Dominicans built the small convent and oratory . Around 1450, additional staircases were installed that connected the individual components with one another. In the following centuries the monastery was rebuilt and expanded several times in order to be able to offer more space for the growing stream of pilgrims.
The church tower from the 14th century is still Romanesque . The Renaissance decorations on today's facade date from the 15th century, the numerous frescoes in the former refectory , the arcade and the church from the 14th to 17th centuries, the painting in the church from the Baroque era.
Because of the extreme hillside location, the monastery threatened to break apart in the 20th century, and in 1970 the entire complex including the surrounding rocky zone began to be equipped and restored. In the course of the extensive restoration work, the entire foundation of the monastery complex, both in terms of the rock and the foundation walls, was secured by steel cables that are deeply anchored in the mountain so that there are no more dangerous ground shifts that threaten the existence of the monastery. After 16 years the church could be reopened.
The interior of the church is adapted to the curve of the mountain due to the steep slope and the difficult building ground. It is richly frescoed, even if moisture damage has destroyed considerable parts of the painting. Most of the frescoes date from the 16th century and were additionally decorated with some floral motifs in the 17th century. In the center of the church is the sarcophagus of the founder of the hermit Alberto. An old wine press from 1769 stands in the courtyard that separates the church from the convent building.
literature
- Angelo Maria Caccin OP: S. Caterina del Sassoballaro. Gavirate 1987.
- Claudia Converso: Guide to Lake Maggiore and the islands of the Borromeo Gulf. Milan, p. 74.
- Roberto Comolli OSB: The Hermitage of Santa Caterina. Varese 2014.
Web links
- The Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso on the Province of Varese website .
Coordinates: 45 ° 52 ′ 37 " N , 8 ° 35 ′ 49" E