At one time these areas were among the most developed in the city, even if surrounded by abandoned and uncultivated lands, it was precisely here that the Dominicans chose to build the church, also thanks to the conspicuous legacies of Friar Nicolò Boccalino, known as Pope Benedict XI.
The construction of the church was marked by several drawbacks, such as the fall of the bell tower, which damaged part of the chapels below, and the plague, which in the fourteenth century caused the suspension of the works.
This church, the largest in the city as it also exceeds the Duomo, that is the cathedral of San Pietro Apostolo, is characterized by simple, massive and elegant shapes, all projected upwards, with slender and very high windows between thin ribs, where a temperate light enters through the ancient windows. The Gothic style of its interior is embellished with numerous frescoes and tapestries, has a Latin cross divided into three naves.
Among the walls of this grandiose construction, what is most striking are the Cycle of the Dominicans by Tommaso da Modena of 1352, where each religious is represented with a rather realistic style and framed within his own niche.
In particular, among all, Cardinal Ugo da Provenza, portrayed with a pair of glasses, stands out, so much so that it is said to be the first appearance in a painting in the history of Italian art of this object. On the right aisle, in an elevated position, there is the large organ of Gaetano Callido, flanked by a large fresco of San Cristoforo, almost as tall as the wooden beams used for the roof.
