St. Catherine of the Ionian Sea

The changing beauty of the countryside that generously overlooks the Ionian coast of Catanzaro often changes conformation, either because of the barren gullies that emerge on the first spurs of the hinterland or because of the steep elevation changes that, naturally dominating the sea, have favored the construction of inland towns over the centuries. As in the case of Santa Caterina dello Ionio, an ancient town of medieval foundation that over the centuries became a coveted prey of the many feudal families who claimed ownership. The hairpin bends that climb through centuries-old olive groves, ancient farmhouses and oak forests alternately show the Ionian expanse and the mountains of the Serre Park, which seem to loom close at hand here. Passing, in fact, the historic center, one can continue toward Elce della Vecchia to enjoy the spectacle of another natural pass that joins the dense maze of roads toward Serra San Bruno.

The history of this beautiful town has been marked by very sad events that the population bravely faced in a true spirit of resilience. But the great disaster of July 29, 1983 created a momentous caesura between the past and the future by forcing most of the inhabitants to move to the then sparse Marina, which has grown exponentially today. On that scorching yet exceedingly windy day, a frightful fire broke out in the northwest valley at the foot of the village and, propelled by a rushing west wind, reached the first houses. In a very short time it destroyed much of the upper area: 67 houses, two churches and two fine noble palaces were reduced to ashes. The fire engulfed the already disused Church of the Annunziata and the nearby imposing Mother Church of the Assumption, devastating its roof and the vault below; it burned the roof of the Oratory of the Rosary but miraculously the vault did not collapse, sparing the masterpieces it contained. Nothing could be done to save the 19th-century palace of the Marquises Di Francia, the last barons of Santa Caterina, and for that opposite of the Del Balzo-Squillacioti barons, where precious relics and the family’s ancient library were also preserved here. Nevertheless, the historic center was partly restored, rebuilt the Mother Church and saved what the fire had graced, many houses were rebuilt preserving at least the original layout. But the wounds of nearly four decades ago are still open, and those who left the village for the marina still struggle to return. The awareness of this sad page of history should therefore motivate us to make an even more dutiful and careful visit – if possible – trying to understand the extent of the tragedy and the psychological and material outcomes suffered by the old and new generations.
The castle, documented as early as the 12th century, survived the devastating earthquakes and the abandonment due to feudal subversion. Nevertheless, it was torn down in the second half of the 20th century and replaced by the municipal kindergarten. The Mother Church, which, as anticipated, was almost completely destroyed by fire, was built in 1606 and rebuilt in its present form after the 1783 earthquake: much of its elegant decoration in Serrese baroque, now tending toward the incipient neoclassical taste, was saved from the fire, except for the vault. The tiburium, internally built like a dome, resisted but the strong heat caused the destruction of the wooden choir, the pictorial altarpiece and damaged the marble altar, a jewel made by Pisani marble workers from Serra San Bruno in 1780. Also damaged were the valuable side altars, the work of 18th-century Neapolitan masters, where the sculptures of the Immaculate Conception and St. Joseph, also made of marble, are enclosed.
Among the many surviving works, admire, in the Church of the Rosary, the spectacular Neapolitan high altar in polychrome marble, eighteenth-century like the pictorial altarpiece enclosed in it depicting the Virgin of the Rosary, a copy from the famous original by Carlo Maratta admirably replicated by Emanuele Paparo. Of interest are the church of San Pantaleone, the now-abandoned church of the Immaculate Conception, and the sumptuous confraternal church of Santa Caterina, patron saint of the town. The neoclassical interior houses in the sumptuous cornice of the high altar a copy of the original altarpiece by Fabrizio Santafede, replicated in 1866. The statue of the patron saint, a Serrese work from the late 18th century, adorned with rich silk vestments embroidered in gold, is notable, an object of great devotion by Caterisans who solemnly celebrate her feast day on November 25 and the second Sunday in July.