Church of San Domenico Maggiore

San Domenico Maggiore is a Roman Catholic church and former Dominican friary founded in 1283 in the heart of Naples' UNESCO-listed historic center. Its original structure was one of the foremost examples of Neapolitan Gothic architecture, though successive Baroque renovations and restorations have substantially altered its medieval character. The sacristy holds 45 fabric-draped coffins of Aragonese royals and nobles from the 15th and 16th centuries, making it one of the most unusual royal funerary collections in southern Italy. Thomas Aquinas lived and taught at the adjoining monastery in the 13th century before his appointment to Paris; a chapel inside preserves a crucifix that, according to tradition, spoke directly to him. The complex remains an active place of worship, accessible from the lively Piazza San Domenico Maggiore just outside.