Chiesa di San Domenico di Solofra

The Church of San Domenico (Saint Dominic) in Solofra is located in Via Felice De Stefano, in the historic centre of the town.

Construction began in 1644 at the will of the feudal lord Dorotea Orsini. Six years later, work began on the adjoining convent, currently presided over by the Oblate Fathers of San Giuseppe Marello (Saint Joseph Marello). The title given to this church derives from the cult of the painting of Saint Dominic Soriano, depicting the Virgin Mary, Saint Mary Magdalene and Saint Catherine of Alexandria in the act of giving an image of Saint Dominic of Guzmán (1170-1221), founder of the Order of Preachers, to one or more Dominican brothers. The simulacrum, inspired by a miraculous event that took place in 1530, in the Dominican convent of Soriano Calabro, in the province of Vibo Valentia, became very popular especially in the 17th century, through the stories of the Preaching Fathers and the depiction of numerous Italian and Spanish artists. 

Today, the Church of San Domenico is distinguished by its façade, with a portal that gives life to the whole building, framed by stone piers and architrave, on which there is a coat of arms with the symbol of Saint Dominic. At the base, two lions are sculpted in relief, the fruit of the art of stonemasons from Solofra. 

The interior has a single nave with a Latin-cross plan and a barrel-vaulted roof and is characterised by the presence of ten votive aedicules on the side walls, created in devotion to the same number of families from Solofra and enriched with statues and paintings. In the transept: on the left-hand side, a masterpiece by Francesco Guarini (1611-1651), painted between 1644 and 1649 and restored in 1744, depicting Our Lady of the Rosary; on the right-hand side, a painting of "The Vision of Saint Gregory the Wonderworker", the result of collaboration between Angelo Solimena (1629-1716) and his son Francesco (1657-1747).  
Finally, one of the most important works of art is the main altar, made of polychrome marble with valuable putti on the altarpiece by a Neapolitan workshop from the end of the 17th century, a valuable work of the Vaccarian school. 

The Church of San Domenico is further evidence of the rich cultural and artistic heritage of Solofra, a place that still resists the elements and the relentless passing of time.