The article gives an overview of the XANES technique contribution to the analysis of multicomponent catalysts. The theoretical basis of the technique, the interpretation of the energy position and intensity of XANES features, and the numerical methods developed to interpret XANES data on catalytic systems are described and discussed in the first part. In the second part, the most recent XANES studies of catalytic samples are reviewed, giving particular attention to the solid state chemistry information extracted under real, in-situ conditions. This concerns structural and redox properties of the systems during preparation stages, activation treatments like reduction, oxychlorination, or sulfidation, and reaction conditions. Additional effort was made to describe the use of XANES to gain insight on electronic properties of catalysts. The influence of all these redox, geometrical and electronic properties on catalytic behavior, particularly as a function of particle size and active metal-support interaction, has also been examined on the light of XANES data.