San Domenico

A Gothic church (and Siena landmark) housing the relics of St. Catherine of Siena

The Chapel of St. Catherine, San Domenico, Siena
The Chapel of St. Catherine (Photo by Sailko). Just above the Casa di Santa Caterina where the mystical medieval diplomat Saint Catherine of Siena lived, the gargantuan brick church of San Domenico (syarted in 1226) preserves the saint's shriveled head and thumb as relics in a chapel swathed in Renaissance frescoes by Sodoma and Francesco Vanni.

There are also a classic Renaissance Natività (1490/95) by Francesco di Giorgio Martini in which the blessed event takes place beneath the shattered remains of an ancient Roman triumphal arch, and a lovely early Gothic Madonna and Child Enthroned (1270s) by Guido da Siena.

Tips

Details

Basilica Cateriniana di San Domenico
Piazza San Domenico
» (where Viale Curtatone meets Viale dei Mille, just south of the communal soccer stadium in the Terza di Camollia)
tel. +39-0577-280-893
www.basilicacateriniana.com
Open Mar–Oct daily 7am–6:30pm; Nov–Feb daily 9am–6:30pm
Free

How long does San Domenico take?

Planning your day: Give the church about 20 minutes—maybe 45 minutes total for this and the nearby Casa di Santa Caterina.

Mass at San Doemnico

Services are held Monday to Saturday at 7:30am, 9am, and 6pm; Sunday services are at 7:30am, 9am, 10:30am, noon, and 6pm.