The biggest attraction of the Monastero di San Paolo in Parma is the Camera della Badessa. This room, which is also known as Camera di San Paolo, is decorated with a fresco cycle by the local painter Correggio. A second interesting room is the Cella di Santa Caterina.
Camera di San Paolo Parma
Useful information
Address: Via M. Melloni, 3 – 43121 Parma. Phone: +39 0521 533221. Opening hours: From 13.00 till 18.30. Price: .
History and description
Correggio frescoed the “Room of the Abbess” in 1519. The Abbess the room is named for was Giovanna da Piacenza, who used her wealth to invite famous artists to Parma.
The coat of arms of the Badessa takes up central position in the vault of the Camera di San Paolo. From the center of the vault, the surface is divided into sixteen slices, radiating outward. Each part has an oval area, in which a cupid is depicted. each slice ends in a semicircular area containing a mythological figure. One of these figures is Diana, Goddess of Chastity. This is seen as a reference to Giovanna da Piacenza herself.
The San Paolo Monastery itself was run by the Benedictine Order and was almost exclusively meant for aristocratic and wealthy females. The rooms that were frescoed were part of the private residence of the abbess. The room decorated by Correggio was the last one to be painted. The other rooms had been frescoed five years earlierby Alessandro Araldi.
Cella di Santa Caterina
One of the rooms frescoed by Araldi is the Cella di Santa Caterina. The wall paintings in this rather small room depict events from the life of Santa Caterina.