PhD Program in Historical studies
The church of San Domenico in Nardò
The Church of San Domenico (Saint Dominic) in NardòNardò (Neretum in Latin) is a town located in the current province of Lecce, which has an ancient history. If the first human traces in the area date back to the Paleolithic era, the city was founded in the seventh century B.C. by the Messapians. It passed under the dominion of the Romans, Goths, Byzantines, Lombards, Normans, Angevins and Aragonese. In the period of Spanish domination and throughout the Early Modern period age Nardò was a fief, as a Duchy of the Acquaviva. was built for the Dominican Order between 1580 and 1594 by the architect Giovanni Maria TarantinoGiovanni Maria Tarantino is considered the greatest exponent of Baroque in Nardò. and entitled initially to Santa Maria de Raccomandati. The changes include the late sixteenth-century bell tower built by Bishop Salvio and finished in 1572 and the ground floor rooms of the convent.
It originally had three aisles, eliminated to make way for a one classroom after 1743: a solution which was more favourable to preaching, which has always distinguished the Dominican Order, and the precepts of Trent. In addition to the façade, the only items left standing after the earthquake of 1743 were the left lateral wall and part of the sacristy. The façade was built in carparo stone at two different times: Tarantino worked under the supervision of skilled workers such as Giovanni Tommaso Riccio, Scipione de l’Abate and Scipione Bifaro. The prospectus of the façade is divided into two levels: the lower invokes the terrestrial world and is populated by pagan figures, which take refuge in between the twin and ribbed columns, supported by high bases, and naked or semi vegetable characters who wear a basket of fruit upon their heads, which in turn sustains the rich entablature. The upper part presents lighter forms: the side niches house the Dominican saints and the large central window is adorned with floral motifs.
The interior has a single nave with a Latin cross plan and three chapels on each side. Among the various altars worthy of note is the remarkable workmanship on that of the Madonna del Rosario (Madonna of the Rosary), with the fifteen mysteries placed on the altar on the left, the work of the skill of the painter from Nardò Antonio Donato D’OrlandoA painter of the seventeenth century, his paintings are located in Martina Franca, Nardò and in the parish church of Uggiano.. The bell tower was rebuilt at the top after the earthquake of 1743. Adjacent to the church is the convent of the Dominicans, in which the Neapolitan architect Ferdinando SanfeliceFerdinando Sanfelice (1675-1748) was born and died in Naples, where he worked intensely both as an architect and creator of ephemeral installations for secular and religious celebrations, in typical Baroque style. Of aristocratic birth, he also worked in other centers such as Salerno and Nardò. worked when, in 1707, his brother Antonio was appointed bishop in the Apulian city.