The building has a peculiar structure, the result of
the fusion of three chapels which were once originally separate.
The paintings are beautiful, in particular the ones from the 14th century in the church and
in the Capitular Hall.
According to the legend the monastery was founded by Alberto Besozzi
of Arolo, a loan-shark who survived a shipwreck by intercession of Saint Catherine of
Alexandria in 1770 and retired to a hermit’s life on the Sasso Ballaro.
The three chapels built in subsequent times soon became the destination of pilgrimage and
the place itself was considered miraculous.
The miracle of the beginning of the 18th century
is well-known: five enormous rocks fell on the church but they were entangled in a chapel’s
vault and hung there for almost two centuries, until 1910.
The monument faced ups and downs over the centuries, between splendor and decadence, until
its abolition in 1769. A long period of carelessness and negligence followed, finally stopped
by a long restoration which also allowed the return of a monastic community.
Presently occupied by the Dominicans, the same order, that
first erected it in the 14th cent., the tiny convent, was later occupied by other
religious orders.
St. Catherine's Sanctuary is easily reached by lake with the boats
departing from Stresa. With the low season the Santa Caterina del Sasso stop is
skipped, so check the most recent schedule before going. The convent is accessible all year
around with a car from the Lombardy side of Lake Maggiore.
Be prepared to climb some stairs: if you come from the lake there are 88 steps
to reach the Hermitage, if instead you come with a car there are 288 steps to
descend (and climb back on your way out).
Photo © 
Santa Caterina del Sasso Hermitage 