Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesù Cristo

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Facade of the Church of Santa Maria della Colonna , formerly part of the Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesù Cristo (in a catastrophic condition, before the restoration, which was completed in 2018)

The Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesù Cristo (Conservatory of the Poor of Jesus Christ) was one of the four famous orphanages and conservatories of Naples that played a crucial role in the formation of the so-called Neapolitan School in the 17th and 18th centuries and also famous as training centers of Were castrato singers . It was located in the middle of one of the three decumani of the ancient city center, in Via del Sole, on the corner with Vicolo dei Panettieri, and was the most short-lived of these institutes: it only existed until 1743.

In autumn 2018 the church of Santa Maria della Colonna , which once belonged to the Conservatorio dei Poveri, reopened after a 40-year restoration phase; In addition to a resumption of religious functions, cultural and musical events are also planned, including a. with CERSIM.

history

The foundation of the Poveri di Gesù Cristo came about through the work of a Third Order Franciscan, Marcello Fossataro who was deeply shaken by the orphans who after the great plague had remained from 1589 on the streets of Naples alone and lived a sad existence. He collected donations for the establishment of a new orphanage and always called out the saying: “ Fate la carità ai Poveri di Gesù Cristo ” (“Have pity on the poor of Jesus Christ”) - hence the name of the institute.

The first documents date from 1596, when Marcello Fossataro sent a petition to Pope Clement VIII asking for permission to found the orphanage. In another letter to the canon of the cathedral , Don Hyeronimo Margarita, he asked him to intervene in his favor with the Archbishop of Naples, Cardinal Alfonso Gesualdo , the uncle of the famous composer Carlo Gesualdo .

In 1602 Fossataro received official permission from Alfonso Gesualdo, on the condition that the orphans would be taught the Christian faith and that they would be taught to behave and read and write. The only requirement for admission was that a child was not allowed to be younger than 7 years because smaller children had to be looked after by women; in addition, the newcomers were not allowed to suffer from an infectious disease.

The clothes of the Poveri consisted of a red cassock and a blue outer garment ( zimarra ), plus a blue beret . They were the same colors traditionally used to represent Jesus Christ, whose name they bore.

Overall, the further history of the institute is not very well documented, but it seems to have worked relatively calmly and without problems, apart from difficulties with the neighboring monks of the Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri , who regularly complained and demanded that during their eating recitations In the church of the Poveri no masses should be held, no bells should be rung, no one should sing or make any other noise.

In 1730, however, there was a terrible scandal: the apparently rector, who was primarily responsible, tried to counter diffuse accusations of violent and repressive educational methods and poor conduct by calling on the so-called “Corsori”, the notorious militia of the archbishop's curia , to help. In a " raid " they not only punished clergymen who were guilty of any sins, but also one of the students named Domenico Lanotte was killed. These incidents threw a bad light on the Conservatorio and caused anger among the Neapolitan people.

In the following 13 years the Poveri di Gesù Cristo continued to decline. T. have fled to avoid bad treatment. In the end the institute was closed and the few remaining students were distributed to the other three conservatories in Naples.

Despite the bitter end, it is noticeable that a number of important musical personalities emerged from the Conservatorio dei Poveri or taught here themselves.

Students and teachers of the Poveri di Gesù Cristo

Teacher:

Student:

literature

  • AA.VV .: Il Conservatorio di San Pietro a Majella , Editrice Electa, 2008. ISBN 9788851005146 . (Italian)
  • Ulisse Prota-Giurleo: "Matteo Sassano detto" Matteuccio "" (Documenti napoletani), in: Rivista italiana di musicologia , I / 1966, 1, pp. 97–119. (Italian)

See also

Web links

  • Brief history of the Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesù Cristo in the archives of the website www.sanpietroamajella.it , (pages 1 + 2), last accessed on October 8, 2018 (Italian; also source of this article)
  • Website of the Conservatory of San Pietro a Majella , last viewed on October 8, 2018 (Italian)
  • Brief information about the reopening of the Church of Santa Maria della Colonna on September 11, 2018, on Facebook , last viewed on October 13, 2018 (Italian)
  • Stella Cervasio: Riapre dopo quarant'anni la chiesa di Santa Maria della Colonna a centro storico. Short article from September 12, 2018, on the repubblica.it website , last viewed on October 13, 2018 (Italian)
  • Paola Marano: Napoli, il Complesso di Santa Maria della Colonna restituito alla città dopo 40 anni di chiusura. Article in Il Mattino , from September 11, 2018, online , last viewed on October 13, 2018 (Italian)
  • Complesso di Santa Maria della Colonna. In: Comune di Napoli , September 11, 2018, online , last viewed on October 14, 2018 (Italian)

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Brief information about the reopening of the Church of Santa Maria della Colonna from September 11, 2018, on Facebook , last viewed on October 13, 2018 (Italian)
  2. ↑ Stella Cervasio: "Riapre dopo quarant'anni la chiesa di Santa Maria della Colonna a centro storico", short article of September 12, 2018, on the website of September 12, 2018, on the website of repubblica.it , last viewed on October 13, 2018 (Italian)
  3. ↑ Paola Marano: "Napoli, il Complesso di Santa Maria della Colonna restituito alla città dopo 40 anni di chiusura", article in Il Mattino , from September 11, 2018, online , last viewed on October 13, 2018 (Italian)
  4. ↑ "Complesso di Santa Maria della Colonna", in: Comune di Napoli , September 11, 2018, online , last viewed on October 14, 2018 (Italian)
  5. ↑ a b c d e Information about the Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesù Cristo in the archive of the website www.sanpietroamajella.it , last accessed on October 8, 2018
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g Information about the Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesù Cristo in the archive of the website www.sanpietroamajella.it , last accessed on October 8, 2018 (Italian)