Description of the attraction
The Monastery of Santa Caterina del Sasso, carved into the rock on the eastern shore of Lake Maggiore, once served as a refuge for hermits, and today is one of the lake's tourist attractions. Despite its inaccessible position, you can get to the monastery both from land and from water.
The construction of the Roman Catholic religious complex began in the 13th century, but most of the work was carried out from 1300 to 1320. Some of the frescoes that adorn the interior of the monastery date back to the 19th century. The complex includes a church dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria and two monastery buildings. It is believed that the founder of the monastery was the Monk Alberto Besozzi from the town of Arolo, who, having happily escaped death in a shipwreck, made a vow to Saint Catherine and lived in a grotto next to the future monastery until the end of his life. The relics of the blessed Besozzi are kept in the church today.
They say that the name of the monastery - del Sasso ("Stone") - was given after a part of the rock collapsed on it in 1640. In 1670, it passed to the Carmelite Order, and a hundred years later it was abolished. Despite this, in 1914 the monastery was declared a national monument, and in 1970 it was acquired by the government of the province of Varese, which initiated restoration work.
Today, you can get to Santa Caterina del Sasso by going down a long winding staircase or by an elevator built in 2010, as well as by a ferry that docks at the local pier.
In 1977, some scenes from the film "The Bishop's Room" by Dino Risi were filmed at the monastery, and in 1989 he appeared in the film "The Betrothed" by Salvatore Nochita based on the story of the same name by Allesandro Manzoni.
