Basilica of Santi Vincenzo e Caterina de' Ricci

The Basilica of Santi Vincenzo e Caterina de’ Ricci is located in Prato, next to the Church of San Domenico, and was built in the 1700s following the canonization of sister Caterina de’ Ricci, who lived in the adjacent Convent of San Vincenzo from 1535 to 1590.

The artistic style of the architecture is late Baroque: the church is home to frescoes, altars, stuccos and extraordinary vestments. On the marble altar is a relief of St. Caterina embracing the crucifix, and below, a silver urn containing the saint’s body. There are also engravings on the side walls that detail the miracles she performed. The basilica is also home to a 16th-century Nativity by Michele delle Colombe, paintings by Pucci, a 15th-century relief of the Madonna and Child by Matteo Civitali and the Martyrdom of St. Catherine of Alexandria by Vincenzo Meucci.

Next to the basilica is the cloistered monastery founded in 1503, which was enlarged during Caterina de’ Ricci’s lifetime. From the atrium, you can get to the Chapel of the Madonna dei Papalini, where you’ll find a 16th-century bust in majolica, which stopped the convent’s destruction by Spanish mercenaries during the Sack of Prato in 1512.