Description of the attraction
The Church of St. Dominic (Santo Domingo) is a Catholic church in the city of Santiago de Chile. The site where the church and monastery now stands has been owned by Dominican monks since 1557, as the Dominican Order was one of the first religious orders to arrive in Chile in the 16th century. But the three previous buildings of the temple, erected on this site, were destroyed during earthquakes in 1595, 1647 and 1730, which influenced further local urban planning.
Historically, the Dominicans have always attached great and important importance to the process of educating and educating believers. In 1622, the first Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas was opened here.
The construction of this temple was begun in 1747 by the architect Juan de los Santos Vasconzellos. In 1795, the architect Joaquin Toesca took full responsibility for the final phase of the construction of the temple building.
The architectural complex consists of a monastery and a church. The Temple of Santo Domingo was built in a neoclassical style with some characteristic Baroque elements. In the Church of Santo Domingo, the most interesting to see are the sculptures of Our Lady of the Rosary, Saint Pius V, Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Rose of Lima.
The Church of St. Dominic was declared a National Monument in Chile in 1951.
