The Church and Convent of Saint Dominic (Italian: Chiesa e Convento di San Domenico) is a Roman Catholicchurch located in the city of Turin, Italy. Throughout its history it has served as a church, as inquisition tribunal, and as a masonic lodge.
History
The church was built during the first half of the 13th century by Dominican friars, in gothic style.[1][2] The adjacent convent was built in 1260 by Father John of Turin,[3] who also established a library within the complex, thus making Saint Dominic, at the time, one of the cultural centers of the city.[1][3] Shortly afterwards, towards the end of the 13th century, Saint Dominic became the seat of the Inquisition Tribunal of Turin,[1] sentencing approximately 80 heretics to capital punishment throughout its existence.[3] The façade of the building was erected in 1334, and the bell tower in 1451.[3][1] During the Black Death epidemic of Turin occurring in 1630, a steel grate was placed on the entrance of the church as to allow churchgoers to attend mass without entering the building itself.[1] During the Napoleonic period, most of the relics and precious materials in the church went missing, and the building became the seat of a Masonic lodge.[1] It is currently the only surviving gothic building in the city.[4]
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