Church of Our Lady of Consolation, Gothic church in Altomonte, Italy.

The Church of Our Lady of Consolation is the duomo of Altomonte, a single long nave on a Latin cross plan with two side chapels beside the choir. The facade keeps its original lines, flanked by two buttresses and split by a horizontal cornice, with a small eroded Madonna and Child in the tympanum below the Sangineto and Sanseverino coats of arms. The massive bell tower with a mullioned window was built by Calabrian craftsmen in the first half of the 14th century.

The church replaced a Norman building dedicated to Santa Maria de' Franchis (1070) and was rebuilt with the authorisation of Pope Clement VI. Filippo Sangineto, count of Altomonte, enlarged it around 1340, the year Naples' Santa Chiara was inaugurated, whose artistic sensibility it imitates. The Sanseverino extended it in the 15th century, and in 1443 it passed to the Dominicans, who founded a monastery there.

The church is Altomonte's duomo. In 1443 it passed to the Dominicans, who founded a monastery beside it, and their emblem still appears on the altarpiece of the chapel of St Michael, next to the gilded wooden altar of 1718. The wooden door leaves of 1580 were carved by local craftsmen.

The church stands in Altomonte's historic centre and is reached on foot through the town's lanes. The original 15th-century portal is kept in a small museum area to the left of the entrance, and the deteriorated original rose window is preserved in a room adjoining the church, so allow time to look at both. As an active place of worship, it is best visited outside service times.

The bell tower, built in the first half of the 14th century by Calabrian craftsmen, has a two-light mullioned window. The original rose window, badly deteriorated, was replaced by a recent copy and is kept in a room next to the church. The wooden door leaves date from 1580 and were carved by local artisans.