San Domenico, Gothic church in Renaissance Square, Urbino, Italy
San Domenico is a Gothic church in Urbino, standing on Piazza Danti directly across from the Ducal Palace. Its main portal is made of travertine stone with fluted pilasters and Corinthian capitals, while the interior was heavily reworked in the 1700s.
San Domenico was begun in 1362 by the Dominican Order and is one of the earlier examples of Gothic religious building in the Marche region. In 1737, architect Filippo Barigioni carried out a major renovation of the interior, while keeping the original Gothic structure in place.
The portal holds a terracotta reproduction of the Madonna with Child and Saints, a copy of a work originally made by Luca della Robbia. The original piece now sits inside the National Gallery of the Marches, just a short walk away across the same square.
The church is on Piazza Danti in the center of Urbino and easy to reach on foot from most points in the old town. Access may be limited during services or events, so checking opening hours before your visit is a good idea.
Inside, the original pointed arches and ribbed vaults from the Gothic period were kept when the interior was redone in the Baroque style. Seeing both side by side in the same room gives a clear sense of how different these two periods of building really were.
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