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Temple of St Dominic in Gaeta: the Gothic church overlooking the sea
The Temple of San Domenico (St Dominic) is one of the oldest buildings in Gaeta, perched on a cliff face that plunges into the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the medieval quarter. It has two unenly spaced naves with tall Gothic vaults and a 14th-century portal decorated with eight-pointed stars.
From a convent to Napoleonic barracks
The Dominicans arrived in Gaeta in 1229, and their first convent stood in the area already occupied by the Swabian castle which was later demolished to make way for the Aragonese castle. The current church dates back to the 15th century, designed by Catalan architects in the retinue of Alfonso V of Aragon. Within these walls, Tommaso De Vio took his vows. He would go to become a cardinal and papal legate and meet Luther in 1518. In 1707 the Austrians caused considerable damage, and in 1809 the French turned the convent into a barrack,s and the church into a storehouse.
What remains today
Of the San Domenico complex, only the church survives today, still consecrated, while the convent is entirely abandoned. Inside the church one can admire the 15th-century arches and the high altar, a simple stone block dating from 1928. In 1813 the organ and the statue of the saint were moved to the church of Santa Croce (Holy Cross) in Spigno Saturnia, where the 1944 bombings destroyed them. Beneath the presbytery lies the Terra Santa: the crypt in which, from 1747, the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary used to bury its members.
