Chapel of Our Lady of Piety

This chapel was once dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria, patron saint of theologians and philosophers and much venerated in the Middle and Modern Ages. 

The altarpiece dates from the 17th century and the images of Our Lady of Piety, Saint Alexius and Saint Catherine, which are on display here, are being restored.

1 - Our Lady of Piety sitting with the dead Christ in her lap. The iconography exposes the suffering of a Mother who loses a Son, humanising the sacred figures and bringing them closer to the faithful.

2 - Saint Alexius, of eastern origin (present-day Syria), was the patron saint of pilgrims, wearing a short tunic and a staff, but also of beggars and porters. The faithful prayed to him for a Good Death.

3- Saint Catherine of Alexandria, a virgin martyr from the 3 rd and 4rd, centuries, wise and eloquent. She holds a sword, symbolising her martyrdom by beheading, and holds the head of Emperor Maxentius at her feet, an image of the victory of Christianity over Paganism.

The reliquary urns of the Holy Martyrs Aurelius and Pacificus have been in this chapel since 2019. They were executed in Rome between 1739 and 1740. Soldiers by profession, they appear richly dressed, holding palms and chalices with blood, symbols of their martyrdom in the name of Christ. Originally displayed on either side of the high altar, in the mid-19th century they were moved to the altars at the top of the transept, and in the 20th century they moved between storage spaces and the chapel of Saint Vincent.