The Convent of St Dominic, Bologna has just launched a new website on St Dominic. The website is called “The Shrine of St Dominic” (http://www.arcadominici.org). The site is presented in the simple beautiful colours of the Order (black and white) and also in two languages – Italian and English.
There are three main sections;
The section “Dominic of Caleruga” presents a profile of St Dominic accompanied by a picture of Carlo Pini’s (1946) sculpture of St Dominic from Sr Cecilia’s detailed description.
The section “Dominican Jubilee” presents articles on different topics with a focus on the annual themes of the forthcoming Jubilee of the Order. This year’s theme is “Dominican Women and Preaching” and the site stores varieties of resources on the theme. There are also other news articles on events in the Order.
The section “The Shrine of St Dominic” is the main focus of the site. It highlights the magnificent tomb of St Dominic at the Basilica that bears his name at Bologna. There is a library of pictures of St Dominic, his tomb, the basilica and the exhumation of his cypress. On the homepage, there are multifunctional pictures of the carvings on his tomb from all angles. A click on any part of the tomb will automatically generate a pop-up with close-up pictures and detailed description.
The tomb of St Dominic is indeed a masterpiece and treasure which continually bears witness to the glorious splendour of his life. According to the site;
“St. Dominic's tomb is both an artistic masterpiece and a historical document. Nicola Pisano, Nicolò dell'Arca, Michelangelo, Girolamo Cortellini, Alfonso Lombardi and other famous artists showed their genius by transforming lifeless marble into "speaking stones." The most important episodes of St. Dominic's life are "photographed" in the carvings of the sarcophagus (Nicola Pisano, 1267) and the step between the two angels (Alfonso Lombardi, 1532). These carvings were done according to the memories of friars who had personally known the Saint”.
This new site therefore serves as a continuous reminder of the heritage we bear as Dominicans and also to promote devotion to St Dominic. Anyone who visits the site will certainly be enriched on the life of St Dominic and the symbolic significance of his tomb.
O light of the church, teacher of truth,
rose of patience, ivory of chastity,
You freely poured forth the waters of wisdom,
preacher of grace unite us with the blessed.