The church of Santa Caterina dei Funari and the Vergini Miserabili of Rome

The sixteenth-century church of Santa Caterina dei Funari in Rome was built for the Compagnia delle Vergini Miserabili, a lay confraternity founded by Saint Ignatius Loyola for the moral rejuvenation of society through charitable activity. The principal aim of the confraternity was to protect young girls from the dangers of prostitution and vice by providing them with shelter and education. Federico Cesi, the first cardinal protector of the institution, sponsored the building of the church by the Florentine architect, Guidetto Guidetti. Completed in 1564, one year after the close of the Council of Trent, its design served as an influential model of Roman church architecture of the Counter-Reformation. The interior contains six richly decorated chapels painted by a number of late sixteenth-century artists including Federico Zuccaro, Girolamo Muziano, Marcello Venusti, Scipione Pulzone and Annibale Carracci.; This study provides a comprehensive examination of the church of Santa Caterina dei Funari and its decorations, focusing primarily on the architectural design and iconographic program. Its paintings are discussed in relation to the mission of the confraternity and within the broader context of the Catholic reform movement. The study presents a history of the Compagnia delle Vergini Miserabili, its founding and charitable activities, and analyzes the role this brotherhood played in Rome during the sixteenth century. The church architecture, urban setting and the patronage of Cardinal Federico Cesi are also examined in relation to religious reforms and the efforts of the Catholic church to restore the city of Rome. This study of Santa Caterina dei Funari and its confraternity is intended to provide further understanding of the relationship between art and society in Rome during the Counter-Reformation.