The Government Palace, built on the ruins of the Church of San Domenico, houses works by Basilio Cascella and Francesco Paolo Michetti.
The Church of San Domenico, constructed during the 1600s, originally dedicated to the Virgin and St. Anne, took its current name at the beginning of the 19th century after the old Dominican church was demolished. The stone facade, with simple and classical lines, extends over two levels and is flanked by the 18th-century brick bell tower. The interior, a single nave with side chapels, is rich in valuable biblical-themed decorations, the work of G. B. Gianni, a stucco architect from Lombardy. In the first chapel on the right, one can admire the stories of the Prodigal Son and the punishment of Adam and Eve, while on the vault are depicted the sacrifice of Isaac and the wrestling of Jacob with the angel. On the walls of the second chapel are found the Annunciation and the birth of the Virgin. On the left side of the nave, only the first chapel is richly decorated and is dedicated to Saint Martin. Worth noting is the altarpiece of Saint Joseph Calasanz, painted in 1790 by Giacinto Diana, and the canvas of the Holy Rosary, a work by Giacomo Farelli from 1679. The pulpit is also fine, with burl inlays alongside the scenic polychrome marble altar and the monumental 18th-century organ. On the barrel vault of the nave, plastered white, stands a large ellipse simulating a dome. From the presbytery, you access the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art, currently under renovation, which houses works mainly from the Cathedral and the Town Hall, a wooden crucifix from the late 1400s, the wooden bust of St. Anthony dating to the 1500s, and fragments of frescoes from the 14th and 15th centuries.
Information on Church of San Domenico al Corso
Corso Marriccino, 97
66100 Chieti (Chieti)
08714081
Weekdays: 9:00-10:30 Sundays: 9:00-10:30-11:30
Source: MIBACT
