Chapel of St. Dominic

• This was originally a smaller chapel which was built by the Arberini family and then given to the Iuperini and Amidei families. The Dominicans began a reconstruction project from 1649-1656 that can be seen in the eight black and white marble columns which are the colors of their order. Martino Longhi directed this project but it was halted for lack of funds. Fra Giuseppe Paglia enlarged the chapel in 1676 but this was not completed until around 1700. The Dominican Pope Benedict XIII renovated the entire chapel in 1725 with Filippo Bracci directing the project. Pope Benedict XIII was later buried here in 1730. The carved balustrade is of polychrome marbles. St. Dominic (1170-1221) was founder of the Order or Preachers

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