CHURCH OF SAN DOMENICO

The history of this church originally goes hand in hand with the history of the powerful family Del Balzo. The Dominican church and convent were established in 1398 thanks to the bequest of Sveva Orsini, widow of Francesco Del Balzo. The original church has undergone several changes over time due to destructions, lootings and natural disasters. The minor cloister of the convent was made in parallel with the foundation of the church in 1398. Several changes and works were carried out in the convent throughout the centuries until 1900 when the rectory was made on the first floor. In the 17th century the main cloister was built and demolished in 1896 along with a part of the adjacent minor cloister. Also the facade has undergone changes: today it is divided into two floors since initially a portal and a window (which is now walled) were made in 1510 and then a second floor was added in the 18th century. The 16th -century portal on the lower floor is finely decorated and surmounted by a statue of the Virgin Mary with child placed in a seashell. The upper part is marked by a cornice, which gives way to the Baroque building. On the side of the building is a small lateral portal featuring a statue of Saint Dominic. The church has a single nave and is characterised by 4 lateral altars made of polychrome marble of fine workmanship from the Neapolitan school. They are surmounted by paintings depicting the Virgin Mary and Dominican Saints. The sacristy preserves the mummified body of duke Francesco II Del Balzo, lord of Andria in the 15th century, as a proof of the tight bond of the lord with the Dominicans, to whom he granted protection and support. In the past the grave used to be overlooked by the marble bust attribuited to Francesco Laurana (or to Domenico Gagini, according to another hypothesis), which is currently preserved in the Diocesan Museum.