Chiesa di Santa Maria di Castello in Genoa is a landmark of both architecture and devotion, with roots stretching deep into the city’s medieval past. It was built on the foundations of a ninth- or tenth-century church, set beside a fortified bishop’s residence that once dominated the ridge above the harbour. In the first half of the twelfth century it was rebuilt by Antelamic craftsmen, whose work defined its enduring Romanesque character. The layout follows the familiar plan of three naves separated by columns, a timber truss roof, a transept, and three apses, its proportions balanced and its structure plain but imposing.
A new chapter began in 1442 with the arrival of the Dominican Order. The friars extended the complex, adding chapels, a cloister, and a refectory, and made the church a hub of religious and cultural life. Their patronage brought fresh artistic energy, most notably in the Chapel of Santa Caterina, where Nicolò Corso (1446–c. 1513), also known as Nicolò di Lombarduccio, painted a sequence of frescoes devoted to Saint Catherine of Siena. Corso’s work is marked by clear, luminous colour and a deliberate arrangement of figures, serving both narrative clarity and devotional focus.
One scene, showing Saint Catherine receiving the Dominican habit, occupies a central place in the cycle. Based on Dominican sources, Raymond of Capua’s Legenda Major, and Catherine’s own writings, it depicts the moment she turned from the world to a life of humility, service, and spiritual dedication. For the Dominicans, this was more than a pious story: it was a visual statement of their ideals, intended to inspire those who worshipped within the chapel to follow her example.
