Hermitage of Saint Dominic

The hermitage of San Domenico stands along the shore of Lake San Domenico, in the Sagittario Valley, in the municipality of Villalago. Looking at the cave carved into the limestone rock, you will discover that, according to tradition, it is the place where the Benedictine monk San Domenico di Sora lived around the year 1000. Reading the story, you will learn that San Domenico stayed here after being hosted in the monastery of San Pietro de Lacu and in Cocullo, where he performed miracles, such as healing a girl bitten by a snake and taming a wolf that had kidnapped a child. The miracles are depicted in the votive canvases in the portico of the hermitage. Inside the church, passing through the 17th-century portico, you will notice the paintings by Alfredo Gentile, made in 1938, which tell the life of the saint. The single-nave church houses the neo-Gothic style altar with the statue of San Domenico, while the marble stucco antependium from 1761 adds a touch of refinement. On the right, observe the niche with the painting of the Madonna and Child, dating back to the early 19th century.