Church of San Domenico in Noto
The Church of San Domenico is among the most important and best preserved examples of the Baroque in the city of Noto.
It was built as a convent church of the Dominican fathers, already present in ancient Noto, by the architect Rosario Gagliardi, between 1703 and 1727. It overlooks the XVI Maggio square adorned by the gardens of the Villa Ercole.
The façade has two orders, the first Doric and the second Ionic, and is characterized by the alternation of columns and niches. The central part protrudes towards the street with a convex shape.
The interior is structured on an elongated Greek cross plan with five domes richly decorated with stuccoes and side altars in polychrome marble with fine eighteenth-century paintings. Of particular interest are the frescoes of San Domenico receiving the Holy Spirit dating back to the 18th century, and the Madonna del Rosario by Vito D'Anna from 1712.
The former convent, now used as a school, has been largely rebuilt , except in the south wing where the ashlar portal of the Sinatra is located.
