Chiesa di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria

Santa Caterina d'Alessandria in Trevignano Romano holds the funerary monument of Tommaso Silvestri, the local priest remembered for his pioneering work in deaf education. The small church connects that eighteenth-century story with the town's older religious traditions.

Why it matters

Silvestri's memory extends beyond Trevignano. John Paul II's visit in September 1989 commemorated the bicentenary of his death and brought members of Italy's national deaf organisation to the lakeside town.

What to notice

A single nave opens into two side chapels. The apsidal fresco depicts the Virgin between Saints Sebastian and Roch, saints traditionally invoked against plague. The left chapel contains Silvestri's monument; the right houses an image of Saint Anthony Abbot, whose association with animals connects the church to the rural culture around Lake Bracciano.

Context and history

A late-medieval foundation has been proposed for the church. Its later identity combines parish devotion with the commemoration of Silvestri. The tradition of a horseback procession and blessing of animals in honour of Saint Anthony adds another strand to that community history.