Basilica di San Domenico (Perugia)

One of the most impressive churches in Umbria, the Basilica of San Domenico in Perugia is also one of the oldest ones. Its size was supposed to reflect the importance of the Dominican Order in the city. The complex originally also included a convent, which is presently the seat of the Umbria Archaeological Museum and of the Perugia State Archives.

A brief history of the Basilica of San Domenico in Perugia

Construction of the basilica started in 1304 and it took well over a century to finish the project. It replace a far smaller version, which between 1235 and 1260 had been built on top of the 5th century Pieve di Santo Stefano del Castellare. The smaller church made way for the present cloister. The architect, according to Vasari, was Giovanni Pisano.

The Campanile was originally built between 1464 and 1500, and was 126 meters tall. In 1546, it was lowered to 600 meters, either to prevent it from collapsing, or because Pope Paolo III Farnese did not want it to obstruct the trajectory of possible cannonballs to be fired from the Rocca Paolina.

After the vaults had collapsed in 1614, a complete reconstruction was deemed necessary. The famous architect Carlo Maderno worked on the project between 1629 and 1632. Maderno used the design he had made for the new St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome as his starting point. Unfortunately, many works of art were removed from the church during these works.

During the reign of Napoleon, even more art works disappeared, a situation that repeated itself after the unification of Italy, when the State sold many of its possessions.

In 1864, the complex was transformed into an army barracks.

After the earthquake of 1997, the church had to be restored again.

What to see in the Basilica di San Domenico

Artistic highlights inside the church include late medieval frescoes, stained glass windows, a 17th century organ and the funeral monument for Pope Benedict XI. The mostly well-preserved frescoes were painted by Umbrian artists.

Counterfacade: “Madonna and Child with Saints”, fresco by Anton Maria Fabrizi (1644).

Cappella di San Tommaso: “Killing of San Pietro Martire”, fresco by Cola Petruccioli (late 14th century). San Pietro Martire is one of the main saints of the order, together with San Domenico himself.

Cappella della Resurrezione: “Madonna and Child between Saints Dominic and Catherine”, fresco by Giovanni Lanfranco.

Cappella di San Lorenzo: The “Altare della Madonna del Voto” is decorated with a stone and terracotta dossal by Agostino di Duccio (1459).

The funeral monument of Pope Benedict XI, who belonged to the Dominican Order, was sculpted by Loreno Maitani. Pope Benedict died in Perugia in 1304, possibly poisoned. His successor, Clemens V, was the first one of a succession of Popes residing in Avignon, instead of Rome.

The stained glass apse window, made in 1411, was the work of Bartolomeo di Pietro (design) and Mariotto di Nardo. It is 23 meters tall and 8 meters wide, which makes it one of the largest in the world. The bottom part depicts events from the life of San Giacomo. The coats of arms on the sides belong to the Graziani family, who most likely commissioned the work. The rows above depict the Doctors of the Church, the Blessed of the Dominican Order, the main saints of the order and the patron saints of the city. The final row shows the apostles, the prophets and the four evangelists. Finally, at the top, Christ the Redeemer is depicted.

Curiosities

"San Nicola di Bari" by Beato Angelico.

After the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, the Basilica of San Domenico is the biggest church in the region.

One of the paintings missing from the church is Beato Angelico’s “San Nicolà di Bari”. Napoleon’s troops took the work to France, but it is now on display in the Vatican Museums in Rome.

What to know before your visit

Opening hours: From 07:00 till 12:00 and from 17:00 till 19:00. Phone: +39 075 5731568. (Opening hours may be subject to change.)

Piazza Giordano Bruno, Perugia


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