First established before 1096 by the Knights Templar under the dedication to Saint Mark, this site became the first Dominican house in Sicily when transferred to the Order of Preachers in 1311. Following its complete destruction in the 1908 earthquake, the Church of San Domenico was rebuilt in 1932 in the modern "Dazio" district between Viale Regina Elena and Via Alessandro Manzoni.
What to see
Designed in 1932 by priest and engineer Carmelo Umberto Angiolini, the present reinforced-concrete church was constructed in a Romanesque-Byzantine style. Its façade features two large pillars supporting a triangular pediment topped by concrete statues of Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Vincent Ferrer. Above the main entrance, a decorative window is divided by twisted columns and set behind a wrought-iron balcony.
The current building holds the memory of a vast artistic heritage from the destroyed historic complex. The original church contained the 16th-century Cicala Chapel with marble works by Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli, alongside paintings by Giovanni Quagliata and Filippo Tancredi—who rendered Pope Saint Pius V blessing the Christian fleet at Lepanto from a lion-drawn chariot. Antonello Gagini crafted marble bas-reliefs of the Samaritan woman and scenes from the life of Saint Peter Martyr. Notable documented works from the old sacristy and convent include Cesare da Sesto's Pala dei Genovesi (now at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco), a panel of Saint Thomas by Antonello da Messina, sculptures by Andrea Calamech, and paintings by Polidoro da Caravaggio.
Visiting
Located along Messina's ring road on land purchased by the archdiocese in 1925, the church stands next to the Madonna della Lettera Institute run by the Handmaids Reparative congregation. Still ministered by the Dominican Order, it carries forward the history of the ancient lay societies and oratories once attached to the site, including the Oratory of Peace and the Archconfraternity of the Bianchi.
Our editors' tip
Look closely at the upper section of the 1932 façade: the concrete statues depicting Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Vincent Ferrer offer a noteworthy example of the post-earthquake sacred artwork promoted under Archbishop Angelo Paino.