San Domenico Church

The small church on your left is the only surviving medieval Gothic church in Turin built with red bricks. Constructed between 1227 and 1280, it’s considered one of the city’s oldest places of worship, along with the Church of the Consolata. It’s well worth stepping inside, especially to see the 14th-century frescoes. These painted wall murals are the only ones of their kind still preserved in Turin. This church also once housed the offices of the Inquisition during the era of the witch hunts. Around 80 people were unjustly brought here and forced to confess to absurd crimes before being condemned to gruesome deaths. Later, during the Black Plague, a metal grille was added in front of the church so worshippers could attend mass without entering the building. During the Napoleonic era, most of the church’s relics were lost, and the building was transformed into a Masonic lodge. If you’re unfamiliar with Freemasonry, it’s a secretive philosophical and philanthropic society, aimed at promoting human progress. Freemasonry is organized as masonic obediences divided into lodges, and it’s within these lodges that new members are initiated through private, symbolic rituals. Quite a lot of history for one small church. Today, you too can step inside San Domenico, joining the many who have entered over the centuries, for reasons both sacred and strange.