Convento de los Dominicos
Iglesia y Convento de los Dominicos
A Dominican convent founded in 1510, birthplace of the first university in the Americas, with a rare church vault depicting the zodiac.
The convent was founded by Dominican friars in 1510. In 1538 the Universidad de Santo Tomás de Aquino was established here, considered the first university in the Americas and the forerunner of today's Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo. In 1511 Friar Montesinos delivered his famous sermon here, condemning the enslavement of Indigenous people. The church's Gothic façade is plain, but inside the Rosary Chapel's vault is painted with the twelve signs of the zodiac and figures of the four seasons, a rare sight. It is open to visitors outside of Mass times.
Opening hours
Approx. 07:00–12:00, 16:00–19:00 (check on site)
Nearby sights
- Catedral Primada de América
- Parque Colón
- Ciudad Colonial
- Monument to Fray Antón de Montesinos
- Ruins of the Hospital San Nicolás de Bari
- Calle Las Damas
- Fortaleza Ozama
- National Pantheon