Saint Catherine Sanctuary, Siena

The Sanctuary of Saint Catherine is one of Siena's most important pilgrimage sites, preserving the birthplace and family home of Saint Catherine of Siena, one of Italy's patron saints and one of the most influential religious figures of the 14th century.

Born here in 1347, Catherine grew up with her 23 siblings in the home of the Benincasa family. At a young age, she joined the Dominican Third Order, which allowed her to live at home while dedicating her life to prayer and caring for the sick and poor. Known as the "Mystic of Politics," she became a fearless voice against corruption within the Church and famously persuaded Pope Gregory XI to return the papacy from Avignon to Rome in 1377.

Rather than a single church, the sanctuary is a complex of chapels, cloisters, and historic rooms built around the family home. Visitors can see Catherine's tiny bedroom, peaceful courtyards, a cloister with a marble well, and walls adorned with frescoes illustrating episodes from her remarkable life.

One of the most significant places is the Chapel of the Crucifix. This space preserves a 12th-century wooden crucifix before which Catherine received the stigmata—the wounds of Christ—during a visit to Pisa in 1375; the miraculous artifact was later brought back to Siena in 1565 to anchor her home sanctuary.

Catherine died in 1380 at just 33 years of age and was canonized in 1461.