Church of San Domenico

The Church of San Domenico is a church in Noto, located in via Matteo Raeli, overlooking Piazza XVI Maggio, about 280 meters away from the Cathedral of San Nicolò.

The church, dedicated to Saint Dominic, the founder of the Dominican Order, is one of the most important and best preserved examples of Baroque architecture in Noto, and one of the most significant masterpieces of the late Baroque in the entire south-eastern Sicily.

SHORT HISTORY

The Church of San Domenico was built at the behest of the Dominican friars on a project by the architect Rosario Gagliardi, between 1703 and 1727.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE

The facade of the church has two orders, the lower one in Doric style, and the upper in Ionic style. The central part of the facade has a convex shape and protrudes towards the street.

The interior, well preserved, is structured on an elongated Greek cross plan, with three naves and five domes richly decorated with stuccoes, and side altars in polychrome marble with 18th-century paintings, among which the Madonna del Rosario by Vito D’Anna stands out.

The third altar on the left aisle has a Crucifix and various marble panels with scenes from the Passion.

The adjacent convent, now used as a school, was largely rebuilt, except the south wing where there is an ashlar portal built in the 18th century by Vincenzo Sinatra.

HOW TO GET THERE

The Church of San Domenico is located about 1.5 kilometers away from the Noto railway station. To find the church on foot, use the map below.