San Domenico Church, Turin, Italy

The Church and Convent of Saint Dominic (Chiesa e Convento di San Domenico) is a Roman Catholic church located in the city of Turin. Throughout its history it has served as a church, as inquisition tribunal, and as a masonic lodge.

The church was built during the first half of the 13th century by Dominican friars, in gothic style. The adjacent convent was built in 1260 by Father John of Turin, who also established a library within the complex, thus making Saint Dominic, at the time, one of the cultural centers of the city. Shortly afterwards, towards the end of the 13th century, Saint Dominic became the seat of the Inquisition Tribunal of Turin, sentencing approximately 80 heretics to capital punishment throughout its existence.

The façade of the building was erected in 1334, and the bell tower in 1451. During the Black Death epidemic of Turin occurring in 1630, a steel grate was placed on the entrance of the church as to allow churchgoers to attend mass without entering the building itself. During the Napoleonic period, most of the relics and precious materials in the church went missing, and the building became the seat of a Masonic lodge. It is currently the only surviving gothic building in the city.

References:

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Religious sites in Italy

User Reviews

David Paredes Matta (9 months ago)
Beautiful church with a magnificent medieval structure, at the intersection where the tram passes, is an example of the magnificence of Turin

Maurizio (2 years ago)
Incredible Gothic style church... built in the mid-13th century, it retains that medieval spirit that takes you back in time, also thanks to the moss-covered paving outside the church. Once inside you seem to find yourself in an ancient Benedictine monastery with magnificent paintings and ancient coats of arms on the columns. Absolutely worth visiting

Prince Philip (2 years ago)
Nice place to worship in inglese version of the holy mass..14.30pm every sunday.

Tetiana Bogdanova (3 years ago)
Beautiful ?

Dr Curiosity (3 years ago)
Perhaps the only Gothic church left in Turin. On Sunday afternoon we passed by during the celebration of the mass of an African community, the songs and the joy of the choir made us want to enter to be dragged into prayer.

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