Church of San Domenico, Augusta

The first sacred building in Augusta dedicated to San Domenico dates back to the first half of the 12th century and almost if not simultaneously with the foundation of the city by Frederick II. Some writings declare it the first seat of the Dominicans in Sicily and the first church in the world dedicated to the Saint of Guzman. We know nothing about the appearance of this first church nor of the first nucleus of the convent. In 1551 the first of a series of Turkish invasions was razed to the ground and rebuilt together with the convent in 30 years. From the description of this second church one can think that the small church holding the statue of the Saint preserved in Augusta is the reproduction of this temple built after 1551. Razed to the ground by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami of January 1693, it was subsequently rebuilt in two years. However, it was seriously damaged again by the earthquake of 1848. By decision of the mayor, construction work on a new church began in 1876, entrusted to the engineer Luciano Ferraguto.

The neoclassical style façade has pillars adorned with pilasters on the sides, flanked by two semi-columns surmounted by Corinthian capitals. Next to it there is a structure which until the last century hosted a convent of Dominican fathers. The bell tower, on the right side, has a quadrangular plan. Divided over three floors there are openings with balustrades. At the top of the tower there are four spires with a spherical cap in the center supported by an entablature. The interior has a single nave with a vestibule divided on each side by five arches with Corinthian columns. A marble balustrade separates the main altar from the nave with two steps. The apse is divided by five other columns of the same style. Following the earthquake of 13 December 1990, the church was seriously damaged, with loss of decorations and has only recently been renovated.
Source: siciliainfesta.com