San Domenico Church
San Domenico Church
4.5
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Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles560 reviews
Excellent
336
Very good
191
Average
25
Poor
5
Terrible
3

Mairwen1
United Kingdom9,565 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022
This is one of the oldest churches in Arezzo. The Dominican friars arrived in Arezzo over 800 years ago and, shortly after arriving, they began construction of the church, backed by two of Arezzo’s most important and powerful families, the Ubertini and the Tarlati.
Like most tourists, we came to see the single most important work inside the church - Cimabue’s crucifix. The large cross was painted around 1260 (although the date varies) and is suspended above the high altar. The gold leaf paint is startlingly bright and even looking up from below, you can clearly see the agony Christ’s face as he is dying. It’s a pretty graphic picture of human suffering. On the left arm of the cross is a tiny figure of the Virgin Mary in a small rectangular panel. On the other side, is St John.
The crucifix is the star attraction here but if you have some time, it is worth walking slowly around the church. Between the 14th and early 16th centuries, the walls were painted by the most famous painters in the city, including Spinello Aretino. Admittedly some of them are little more than fragments but others are more intact and they are rather beautiful in a faded and fragile way.
Spinello’s frescoes depict the Lives of St Phillip, St James and St Catherine and date back to 1395-1400.
NOTES:
* Entry to the church is free and photos are allowed.
* The church is closed from 10:30 to 12:30.
Written 1 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

L0d0
London284 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2022 • Couples
Hidden away behind the Cathedral is this beautiful 13C church. Curious asymmetric bell tower. A large cross by Cimabue hangs above the altar. Many well preserved 14c frescoes on the walls. Flat beamed ceiling in the gothic style
Empty when we went. Worth seeing
Written 21 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

KatrinaMolini
Corciano, Italy7,514 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2022 • Couples
Nice church. Said to be designed by Nicola Pisano, a famous Italian sculptor from the 13th century. Founded in 1275. The interior is super simple, with dark lighting and some beautiful frescoes from the 14th & 15th centuries. The entrance is free.
Written 3 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JJJC_Family
Virginia810 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2021
As we were walking to the cathedral, we saw this church and decided to make a quick dash in, as were getting close to the lunchtime closing for the cathedral. It was very nice with some fine frescoes, a very nice painted crucifix and some nice stained glass. The wood ceiling was impressive, as well. The exterior is really striking with an angular look carried over to the belltower. I can't remember seeing anything like it. Overall, a worthy choice for a short stop or longer, if you have the time.
Written 3 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

G.B.
871 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2021
Already the outside of the church fascinates for the gothic aspect. Even the interiors are really well cared for, with several works among which stands out obviously the crucifix, the work of Cimabue. I was also very impressed by the effigy of the saint with the sword stuck in his head, (S. Pietro da Verona), who received the robes from S. Domenico himself.
Written 3 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

982rodneyl
Grande Prairie, Canada164 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2021
This church has a unique crucifix and Madonna both of which are worth taking a little trip away from the centre to see.
Written 23 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ogi0
Sofia, Bulgaria20,971 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
Beautiful Gothic church, I think it was completed in the 14th century. The facade is very interesting and there are preserved murals inside, but unfortunately the time was short and I could not enter.
Written 18 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

westy54
Sydney, Australia9,053 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2019
Construction of this small stone church with a Gothic style facade and bell tower was commenced in 1265 and was completed during the 14th century. The facade was being renovated when we visited so much of it was covered but you could see from the photo outside that it was largely unadorned except for a rose window above the only portal that was covered by a porch.

Internally the church had a single nave with a wooden trussed ceiling. There were a number of frescoes, many dating from the 14th century, around the walls, however unfortunately a good number of them had suffered various degrees of damage over the centuries.

The high altar sits in front of a Gothic style chapel with a lancet arch that also has a small vaulted ceiling and three long stained glass windows. There are two smaller chapels, each with a smaller lancet arch and one stained glass window on either side of the high altar.

The main attraction in the church though is the large wonderful Crucifix, painted in 1265 by the Italian painter Cimabue. It was stated that there were lights which you could turn on to highlight the features of the Crucifix, presumably with the donation of money, however after about 10 minutes of searching we gave up.

The church was located along one of the streets that lead to our car park so therefore worth a look, particularly for the Crucifix, but not sure I would rate this as a must see.
Written 27 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Frances S
Ashford, UK454 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2019
Disappointingly bleak and under heavy repair outside; the inside was rather dark and depressing, with a particularly poignant Cimabue crucifixion. Dd not persevere to activate the lighting system so left without seeing much of the frescoes as we wanted to see several churches in a short visit.
Written 5 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bel
10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2019 • Friends
It is one of the most authentic Romanesque-Gothic church in Tuscany with an original wooden ceiling.
Written 26 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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San Domenico Church, Arezzo

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