San Domenico is a Romanesque and

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

-style,

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church located in the Piazza of the same name, with a north flank of the nave parallel to Corso Silvani Fedi, in

Pistoia Pistoia (; ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about north-west of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typic ...

, region of

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, Italy.

History

The church structure dates to some time in the mid to late 13th century. Dominican fathers are documented to have preached originally from the small ''Oratory of the Crucifix'' (Oratorio del Crocifisso). The latter contains frescoes dating to the 13th century. The church contains work from the 14th and 15th century, including frescoes by Giovanni Cristiani and

Antonio Vite Antonio Vite was a fourteenth century Italian painter of the early 15th century. He was a pupil of Gherardo Starnina, and was born at Pistoia. He was active around the year 1428, and was perhaps identical with one ''Antonio Filippo da Pistoia'', ...

. There is no documentation to substantiate the rumors by later art historians including

Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari (30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance painter, architect, art historian, and biographer who is best known for his work ''Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'', considered the ideol ...

that either the two Dominican order brothers Sisto and Ristoro, architects of

Santa Maria Novella Santa Maria Novella is a church in Florence, Italy, situated opposite, and lending its name to, the city's main railway station. Chronologically, it is the first great basilica in Florence, and is the city's principal Dominican church. The ch ...

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, or that

Giovanni Pisano Giovanni Pisano () was an Italian sculptor, painter and architect, who worked in the cities of Pisa, Siena and Pistoia. He is best known for his sculpture which shows the influence of both the French Gothic and the Ancient Roman art. Henry Mo ...

, were at work here. Traces of late 13th century frescoes are found in the convent and church, some attributed possibly to

Coppo di Marcovaldo Coppo di Marcovaldo (c. 1225 – c. 1276) was a Florentine painter in the Italo-Byzantine style, active in the middle of the thirteenth century, whose fusion of both the Italian and Byzantine art, Byzantine styles had great influence on gen ...

and his son Salerno. The tomb of the jurist Filippo Lazzari (first on right), and of the Blessed Lorenzo da Ripafratta, are attributed to Bernardo and

Antonio Rossellino Antonio Gamberelli (1427–1479), Janson, H.W. (1995) ''History of Art''. 5th edn. Revised and expanded by Anthony F. Janson. London: Thames & Hudson, p. 465. nicknamed Antonio Rossellino for the colour of his hair, was an Italian Renaissance ...

. The church also has the tomb of the bishop Andrea Franchi, who led the White Procession during the plague outbreak of 1399. In 1497, the Florentine painter

Benozzo Gozzoli Benozzo Gozzoli (; born Benozzo di Lese; 4 October 1497) was an Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. A pupil of Fra Angelico, Gozzoli is best known for a series of murals in the Magi Chapel of the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, depicting festi ...

died here. The painter Fra Paolino, a Dominican follower of

Savonarola Savonarola is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Girolamo Savonarola (1452–1498), Italian Dominican friar and reformer * Michele Savonarola (1385–), Italian physician, humanist and historian {{Surname, 2=Italian-la ...

painted for this church an ''Adoration of the Magi'' and a ''Holy Conversation''. The latter work is now in the church of

San Paolo San Paolo (Italian for Saint Paul) may refer to: Municipalities in Italy * San Paolo, Lombardy, a municipality in Lombardy, Italy * San Paolo Albanese, village and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Basilicata region of southern Italy * ...

of Pistoia. The cloister has frescoes depicting the ''Life of San Domenico'' by

Sebastiano Vini Sebastiano Vini, also known as Bastiano Veronese (c. 1515 in Caprino Veronese – August 11, 1602 in Pistoia) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, active mainly in Tuscany. Biography He was the son of Giovanni Piero. It is unknown u ...

. The church also has frescoes depicting the ''Life of the Magdalen'', painted 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 Rip ...

Michele Cinganelli Michelangelo Cinganelli, also known as Michele Cinganelli (Florence, circa 1558 - Florence, September 26, 1635) was an Italian painter. Biography He was a pupil or strongly influenced by Bernardino Poccetti of Florence. Along with Orazio Rimina ...

, and

Giovanni Martinelli Giovanni Martinelli (22 October 1885 – 2 February 1969) was an Italian operatic spinto tenor. He was associated with the Italian lyric-dramatic repertory, although he performed French operatic roles to great acclaim as well. Martinelli wa ...

: all pupils of

Bernardino Poccetti Bernardino Poccetti (26 August 1548 – 10 October 1612), also known as Barbatelli, was an Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker of etchings. Biography Born in Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region ...

. The painter Giovanni Cristiani painted a now detached ''Last Judgement'' for the convent

refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monastery, monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminary, seminaries. The name ...

. The convent was suppressed in 1783; Dominicans returned only in 1928. The church was damaged during the allied bombing of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.Comune Pistoia
entry on the Convent of San Domenico.

Bibliography for History of Church and Convent

These sources are listed in the website below. *G. Beani, ''La chiesa e il convento di S.Domenico in Pistoia'', Pistoia, 1909 *S. Orlandi, ''La chiesa monumentale di S.Domenico a Pistoia'', Pistoia, 1932 *''Il patrimonio artistico di Pistoia e del suo territorio'', catalogo storico descrittivo, Pistoia, 1967 *A. Bacchi, Pittura del Duecento e del

Trecento The Trecento (, also , ; short for , "1300") refers to the 14th century in Italian cultural history. The Trecento is considered to be the beginning of the Italian Renaissance or at least the Proto-Renaissance in art history. The Trecento was als ...

pistoiese, in ''La pittura in Italia. Il Duecento e il Trecento'', I, Milano 1986

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Domenico Pistoia 13th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches in Pistoia Romanesque architecture in Pistoia