The patron of Gorreto is Saint Catherine of Siena, celebrated on 29 April. The parish church dedicated to her, in the main town, was founded in 1641 at the will of princes Luigi and Carlo Centurione, who regarded Catherine as their «holy protectress» and wished to dedicate to her the town's new church and parish: with a single nave, it preserves on the high altar a high relief depicting the saint receiving confession from the Blessed Raymond of Capua.
The Centurione were feudal lords of Gorreto for generations: it was Giovan Battista Centurione who completed his father's building work, finishing the marquisal palace, the church of Santa Caterina, houses and workshops for the subjects, and the town's defensive walls; he also obtained rights to open new mints in the fief, such as the one at Carmagnola in 1680, and warehouses for the salt trade along the Trebbia valley, competing with the Bobbio route. He was succeeded by his son Giovan Battista II and then Giovan Battista III, who in 1786 erected a new church in Gorreto.
