Cortona | Must-see places

The church of San Domenico

The church of San Domenico is one of the churches you can’t miss in Cortona. This church was once part of the Domincan convent of Cortona, one of the most ancient in the area, already documented in 1258. However, the early church, that was built before the actual one, dates back to 1264. The church visible nowadays was built at the end of fourteenth century, and it was consecrated in 1517 by the bishop of Cortona. The external aspect of the church is late gothic, even if some elements belong to the Renaissance period. The interior of the church is full of works of art, and it has got a central aisle, and it is covered by a wood truss ceiling. The presbytery is raised by five little steps and it has got three rectangular apse chapels; this is a characteristic feature of the Gothic church of the mendicant orders. On the greater apse chapel there is a stunning polyptych painted by Lorenzo di Nicolò in the fifteenth century and it represents the Coronation of the Virgin Mary with some Angels and Saints. The polyptych wasn’t meant for Cortona, but it was given in 1440 by Cosimo il Vecchio, to repair the non-execution by Beato Angelico of an altarpiece for the major altar. On the left apse chapel there is also a piece of art of the famous painter from Cortona Luca Signorelli.