This wooden statue by an unknown author from the late 1500s representing St. Catherine of Alexandria, virgin and martyr, was originally kept in the small church of the same name that stood near the present cemetery even before 1544.
At the request of the Confraternity of which she was the eponymous saint, the bishop granted the transfer of the statue to the Church of the Conception within the walls of the Castle of Lipari, less exposed to possible incursions from the sea and so that the confreres could participate more easily in the processions.
The Saint’s robe, under a more recent blue repainting, has traces of pure gold emerging from the peeling and testifying to her royal origin, as does her hairstyle that leaves her blond hair uncovered. Under her foot is the head of her father, a die-hard pagan who had her tortured and killed.
Probably with her right hand the Saint held a book or the palm of martyrdom, while her left hand rested on the cogwheel, the instrument of her martyrdom, elements unfortunately now lost.
