Santa Caterina, Renaissance church in central Sassari, Italy
Santa Caterina is a Renaissance church in central Sassari built on a Latin cross plan with a single nave, lateral chapels, and ribbed cross vaults. The vault structure divides into three sections, giving the interior a clear vertical organization.
Jesuit architects Giovanni Maria Bernardoni and Giovanni de Rosis designed the church in 1579, taking inspiration from the Church of Jesus in Rome. It became the first building in Sardinia to embody the Counter-Reformation architectural principles established by the Council of Trent.
The church houses a marble high altar in the presbytery displaying a statue of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, moved here from an earlier medieval church on the site. This altar serves as a focal point of devotion for the multiple religious communities now sharing the building.
The church currently serves three different religious communities holding services according to Roman Catholic, Byzantine Greek Catholic, and Greek Orthodox rites. Visitors should respect opening times and service schedules to avoid interrupting the active use of the space by these communities.
The building was intentionally designed to accommodate multiple faith communities using it simultaneously without their different religious practices conflicting with one another. This rare coexistence of different rites under one roof makes it a notable example of interfaith sharing in a historic church setting.
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