Santa Caterina dei Funari

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Church of Santa Caterina dei Funari, Rome
Santa Caterina dei Funari
The church of Santa Caterina dei Funari derives its name from the ropemakers (funari), who used to ply their trade in the ruins of the nearby portico of the ancient Theatre of Balbus.

In 1537, Pope Paul III (r. 1534-49) gave the church that once stood on this site to St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. Ten years later the church became the seat of a charity, the Conservatorio di Santa Caterina della Rosa, also known as the Compagnia delle Vergini Miserabili Pericolanti. 

The church was rebuilt between 1560 and 1564 at the behest of Cardinal Federico Cesi and dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria. The design of its façade would influence that of the Chiesa del Gesu, which lies nearby. 

The festoon over the entrance to the church is decorated with an image of a sword crossed with a palm branch, while the festoons to either side bear an image of a wheel. The palm branch symbolises martyrdom in general, while the sword and the wheel refer to the martyrdom of St Catherine of Alexandria. 
A Detail of the Facade, Santa Caterina dei Funari, Rome
A Detail of the Facade
​The charity's mission was to rescue 'poor virgins' from poverty, and its close relative prostitution. A conservatory for 150 girls and 20 nuns was built. The confratelli who ran the charity sought out 'vulnerable girls in brothels and removed them "ex faucibus daemonis" (from the jaws of the devil) into a strictly cloistered environment where they learned to read and write, were instructed in Christian doctrine, and were taught marketable skills, such as sewing and weaving. When they came of age the girls were reintegrated into society through marriage, or they joined a convent,'Confraternities and the Visual Arts in Italy, ed. by Wisch and Ahl. 
High altar, church of Santa Caterina dei Funari, Rome
High Altar
The interior takes the form of a single nave, which is flanked by five chapels, and a large rectangular apse. The decoration of the chapels was funded by private families, while that of the sanctuary was funded by the Cesi family. The altarpiece on the high altar depicts the Apotheosis of St Catherine (1760) and was painted by Giovanni Sorbi. ​​
Bell tower, Santa Caterina dei Funari, Rome
Bell Tower
The bell tower is in a different style from the rest of the church and is, indeed, unlike any other in Rome. ​