Bolzano: Chiesa dei Domenicani

The Dominican Church — Gothic in style and one of the earliest examples of its kind in the South Tyrol — was our first stop after our cappuccino break.

It was a stop on our sightseeing itinerary recommended by fellow-FindPenguiner C’est parti mon kiki. When she wrote that it is often compared to the Scrovegni Chapel in Padova, I knew we had to stop by and check it out.

Founded by the Dominicans when they settled in Bolzano in 1272, the current church dates to the early 14th century. At that time, it sat outside the city walls. The church and monastery were later expanded and the neighborhood became known as the New City. As is usual with buildings from that period, it underwent several restorations … the work done during the 18th century adding Baroque elements.

In 1785, the monastery and church were closed by Emperor Joseph II and the property was used for a variety of purposes … including as a military magazine until 1924. In 1930, the lands owned by the Dominicans were nationalized by the Fascist regime. During WWI, the building was re-purposed as a hospital. Bomb raids during WWII led to parts of the complex being destroyed. Today, those restored sections house the Bolzano City Gallery and the Bolzano Music Conservatory.

As it was scheduled to close at noon, when we arrived at the church we hurried to find the old cloister — first mentioned in documents from 1308. Turns out that the internal access gate was locked, but a short walk back outside the church got us there.

It was interesting to note that some of the cloister paintings, which cover three periods, still showed brilliant colors, while others were faded and required a careful study to determine the depicted theme. I read that some — such as the 14th century crucifixion fresco — were damaged during the replacement of the flat ceiling with the Gothic-style arched ceiling we see at present.

While wandering along the cloister, we happened upon the Chapel of St Catherine, with its walls adorned with a 14th century fresco cycle in the style of Giotto. I kept my wandering here to a minimum as I didn’t want to intrude on the man praying in one of the front pews.

Returning to the church, we wandered through the apse, where there were more fragmentary frescos, including a 15th century one depicting St. George slaying the dragon. Walking through the arched wall behind the altar, we entered the presbytery … its 18th century Baroque style immediately apparent and in stark contrast to the rest of the church.

It was through a small door at the back of the presbytery that we accessed he Cappella di San Giovanni (St. John’s Chapel) … which separates the church from the monastery where the cloister is located.

Given by the monks to a banker from Florence as a burial place, the Giottoesque fresco cycle for the chapel was commissioned by his son. They were painted by traveling Italian workers who were identified as “Masters of the Dominicans.” They were known to interpret the style of the Giotto school of painters with greater narrative expression. They mixed lime into their paints for more intense and bright colors. I wonder if that explains the brilliant colors and details in the frescos on the back wall of the chapel.

Admittedly, the majority of the frescos here are not nearly as well-preserved as the ones at the Scrovegni Chapel, but the visit did not disappoint … nor did the cycle of frescos.

(If you have not seen the footprint/photos from Padova’s Scrovegni Chapel, this link will take you there … https://findpenguins.com/52z11qkijr3ou/footprin….)Læs mere