Santa Caterina

The Minor Observants built the Annunziata di Portoria complex in 1488 on a structure that had been started in 1422, and was adjacent to the Pammatone Hospital. The original Gothic part is only represented by some of the frescoes in the cloister, which have been attributed to Lorenzo Fasolo of Pavia. In 1521, the double portal of the façade designed by P.A. Piuma was created, which was completed in 1700 with a Baroque gable by Casaregis and a stucco relief depicting the Annunciation by Schiaffino. Following work on the new walls in 1538, part of the convent was demolished and rebuilt in 1556 at the request of the hospital's Protectors. Throughout the 16th century, the most important Genoese families invited the finest artists to decorate the chapels. Battista Grimaldi commissioned the artists G.B. Castello and Luca Cambiaso for the frescoes of the apsidal vault and the presbytery, while the brothers Semino and Calvi took care of the frescoes and the canvases in the other chapels. In 1593, the tomb of Caterina Fieschi Adorno, a noblewoman who had devoted herself to caring for the sick at Pammatone, was placed in the tribune above the main entrance. In 1737, the tomb became a mausoleum, the work of Schiaffino, which occupied the right aisle of the church from World War II onwards. The monastery has been home to the Capuchin Cultural Heritage Museum since 1977 and, as of 2004, the sacellum chapel, extended and connected by a wide staircase to the square in front, has been used as a multi-purpose hall for exhibitions, conferences and concerts.