The Basilica of San Domenico is a
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
-style church in
Arezzo
Arezzo ( , , ) , also ; ett, 𐌀𐌓𐌉𐌕𐌉𐌌, Aritim. is a city and ''comune'' in Italy and the capital of the province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation of above sea level. ...
,
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze'').
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, dedicated to
St Dominic
Saint Dominic ( es, Santo Domingo; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán (), was a Castilians, Castilian Catholic priest, Mysticism, mystic, the founder of the Dominican Order and is the patron saint of astronomers ...
. It is especially renowned for housing a
painted crucifix (1265) by
Cimabue
Cimabue (; ; – 1302), Translated with an introduction and notes by J.C. and P Bondanella. Oxford: Oxford University Press (Oxford World’s Classics), 1991, pp. 7–14. . also known as Cenni di Pepo or Cenni di Pepi, was an Italian painter a ...
.
History and Description
The construction began in 1275 and was completed in the 14th century. The exterior is a sober Tuscan
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
style.
Above the exterior portal entrance is a much dilapidated fresco painted by
Agnolo di Lorentino.
On the interior wall of the facade, are late 14th-century frescoes depicting ''Life of Saints Phillip, James the Minor, and Catherine'' (1395-1400) by
Spinello Aretino
Spinello Aretino (c. 1350 – c. 1410) was an Italian painter from Arezzo, who was active in Tuscany at the end of the 14th and the first decennium of the 15th century.[Giovanni di Francesco
Giovanni di Francesco del Cervelliera or Giovanni di Francesco (1412 – September 28, 1459) was an Italian painter, active in Florence in the mid-fifteenth century.
Biography
Giovanni di Francesco was born in Florence. A land registry documen ...]
(1368) and frescoes of ‘’Jesus among the Doctors" by Gregorio and
Donato di Arezzo. The triptych of ‘’St Michael archangel and Domenic and Paul’’ is attributed to the ''Maestro del Vescovado''. A stone statue of the "Madonna and child" once stood in one of the gates of the city.
Among the other paintings cited in the church in the 19th century were works by
Ulisse Ciocchi
Ulisse Ciocchi or Giocchi or Giuocchi (circa 1570 - 1631) was an Italian painter of the Mannerism, active in Florence.
Little is known about his biography. He was born in Monte San Savino near Arezzo. He painted in the convent of San Jacopo a Ri ...
and an ''Annunciation'' by
Valerio Bonci
Valerio or Valério is a male given name in several languages, derived from the Roman surname ''Valerius'', which itself is derived from the Latin verb ''valere'' - "to be strong". ''Valerio'' also appears as a family name or surname. Valerio is ...
.
[Signorini, page 123.]
File:CrocifissoCimabue-Arezzo-Photo taken by Senet. April 20, 2010-Perspective correction, crop and blackframe with GIMP by Paolo Villa 2019.jpg, ''Crucifix'' by Cimabue
File:Arezzo-Chiesa_di_san_Domenico-Crocifisso_di_Cimabue-closeup.jpg, ''Crucifix'' (detail) by Cimabue
References
13th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy
Roman Catholic churches in Arezzo
Basilica churches in Tuscany
Gothic architecture in Tuscany
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