Pointy, pyramidal stones cover the face of the Gesù Nuovo. They are those of a palazzo (15th century), not of a church, but don’t be fooled. The Jesuit’s lavish Baroque house of worship lies just behind this facade. Before you step through the doorway though, take a closer look at these grey, ashlar stones. You’ll see each bears an unusual marking, one...

Entrance to the Girolamini Monumental Complex built by the Oratorian Fathers (1592 – 1619) sits across the street from the Duomo, though it doesn’t command much attention. Behind its humble doors, however, is a stunning church, two precious cloisters and a picture gallery with a view. Baroque treasures abound: Giuseppe Sanmartino’s (the Veiled Christ) Angels and Luca Giordano’s frescoed depiction of the Neapolitan lazzaroni,...

Naples Cathedral, il Duomo, may be a stunning 14th-century French Gothic church (built on top of a paleo-Christian basilica, built on top of a pagan temple) and the seat of the Naples Archdiocese, but its claim to fame is, shall we say, a bit more… miraculous. The miracle in question is that of the liquefaction of the blood of San Gennaro,...

A small, octagonal church around the corner from the Duomo, Pio Monte della Misericordia safeguards one of Naples greatest treasures, Caravaggio’s Seven Works of Mercy (1607). The work, which is based on the Seven (Christian) Corporal Works of Mercy, was commissioned by the Pio Monte della Misericordia (Pious Mountain of Mercy) charitable organization and one might say, it represents their guiding principles,...

Don’t let the entrance fool you, this stunning church will take your breath away. Most visitors enter San Domenico Maggiore from the piazza of the same name – the church’s apsidal (and less opulent) side, through the Chapel of San Michele Arcangelo a Morfisa, a 10th century church that was incorporated into the complex as a side chapel. The church’s...

A conventual complex with Byzantine roots, San Gregorio Armeno is the scene of a weekly miracle and home to one of Naples prettiest cloisters. The most famous blood liquefaction takes place at the Duomo, but Naples is a city of many of miracles and here, at San Gregorio Armeno, the blood of another saint liquefies. It is the blood of Santa...

Few churches in Naples were spared the elaborate ornamentations of the Baroque and San Lorenzo Maggiore was among them. The church was so over embellished, in fact, that it nearly crumbled under the weight and was eventually stripped back (except for two Cosimo Fanzago chapels) to the quasi original French Gothic form commissioned by the Franciscans. Built on top of a 6th-century structure, a...

There’s a lot to love about this Baroque church, even if you never step inside. Two ancient columns rise from the church’s porch and brace themselves against its facade. They’re all that remain of a pagan temple, that of the Dioscuri, the twins Castor and Pollux who were two of the founding gods of the Greek city of Neapolis; the...

The Sansevero Chapel can be tricky to find, but persevere until you do. Inside this tiny chapel is Giuseppe Sanmartino’s Veiled Christ, an 18th-century masterpiece you don’t want to miss. The sculpture, Christ’s lifeless body in repose covered by a transparent shroud, was hewn from a single slab of stone. It was conceived of by Prince Raimondo di Sangro, an...

Roman ruins, Gothic architecture and Neapolitan artisan crafts live harmoniously behind the walls of Santa Chiara, a citadel-like complex with an unusual double convent. Like most Gothic structures handed down to us from the Angevins, Santa Chiara once wore all of the ornamentation of the Baroque. WWII air raids tragically reduced the complex to rubble, but restoration works serendipitously brought back its Gothic...