CultureUpper Tyrrhenian Cosentino · Riviera dei Cedri
Mother church of San Giuseppe
Santa Domenica Talao’s parish church of 1662, enlarged in 1701: two-arched loggia, sinuous stone staircase, Baroque stuccoes, a polychrome marble altar of 1774 and a small crypt.
The mother church of San Giuseppe is the main church of Santa Domenica Talao, dedicated to the patron saint. Built in the second half of the 17th century, it became a parish in 1662, when the village founded by the Spinelli was taking shape. It originally had a single nave; in 1701 the architect Bilotta enlarged it with a transept and apse. The façade is marked by its two-arched loggia, the bell tower and the sinuous stone staircase rising from Piazza Italia. Inside are Baroque stuccoes, a polychrome marble high altar of 1774, a wooden choir and a Holy Family canvas of the Neapolitan school; the Perrone family, owners of one of the village palazzi, also commissioned works for the church. Restoration in the early 2000s uncovered remains of burials from before 1837, some of which are displayed in a small crypt. The church is the centre of the feast of San Giuseppe, on the first Sunday after 20 July, from which the procession sets out through the village streets.
Frequently asked questions
- In the second half of the 17th century; it became a parish in 1662 and was enlarged in 1701 with a transept and apse.
- Some remains of burials from before 1837, uncovered during restoration in the early 2000s.