Catherine de Pallanza was a 15th-century Italian religious figure who lived an ascetic life in the mountains near Varese. Born Caterina Moriggi around 1437, she was orphaned by the plague and later adopted by a woman from Milan. Following a period of solitary contemplation as a hermit, she established the Order of Saint Ambrose ad Nemus, which adhered to the Augustinian rule. As the first abbess of this community, she was recognized for her intense piety and strict lifestyle.