Santa Caterina a Formiello
| Chiesa di Santa Caterina a Formiello
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| Patronage : | Saint Catherine of Alexandria |
| Order : | Dominican |
| Address: | Piazza Enrico De Nicola, Naples |
Coordinates: 40 ° 51 ′ 16 ″ N , 14 ° 15 ′ 53 ″ E
The Church of Santa Caterina a Formiello is a church in Naples located in Piazza Enrico De Nicola, near Porta Capuana and Castel Capuano . It was built during the Renaissance and is considered one of the most interesting churches in the city.
history
The current structure stands over an earlier, smaller church, which was dedicated to the virgin and martyr Catherine of Alexandria ; this church was built in the fifteenth century together with the adjoining monastery and was originally run by Celestine monks . They were called " a Formiello " (from Latin ad formis = in the tubes, on all channels) because the ancient near her Aqueduct di Bolla led to the city, which in the late 19th century through the present Aqueduct di Serino replaced has been. The religious complex was located in the eastern part of the city, near Porta Capuana and Castel Capuano , within the new Aragonese city walls that extended the former ancient city area.
Since its inception, the church has housed relics of the martyrs of Otranto , who were killed by the Turks on August 14, 1480 for not wanting to deny their faith. Alfonso II of Naples , Duke of Calabria , had the bodies of the martyrs brought to Naples in 1492, initially to the church della Maddalena , which was renamed Santa Maria dei Martiri on the occasion and which was unused at the time. When the nuns of the Magdalenenkloster returned, the remains of the martyrs were brought to the old church of Santa Caterina, probably as early as 1497, and transferred to a small chapel with marble angels.
In 1499 a new chapter began for the Church of Santa Caterina when King Frederick of Aragón entrusted it to the Reformed Order of Preachers of the Dominicans from Lombardy. They erected the current building and stayed here without interruption until 1806, when the monastery was closed by Joachim Murat during the Napoleonic rule .
The construction of the new church reveals clear Tuscan influences. The plans are attributed to Antonio Fiorentino della Cava , the construction work was directed by the architect Romolo Balsimelli from Settignano , whose presence is proven for 1519. In 1514 the great cloister ( chiostro grande ) was completed, which is verifiably the work of Fiorentino della Cava.
The work was financed by several of the city's noble families, including the Acquaviva from Atri , the Sanseverino from Bisignano , and above all the Spinelli from Cariati , who were also granted a chapel in the area of the presbytery . The new church soon took on the appearance that is still known today; Evidence of this is a map from 1566 by Dupérac-Lafréry , which shows the church in a very similar way to the one after its completion 27 years later in 1593. In 1574 the remains of the martyrs of Otranto were exhibited under the rosary altar in the right transept.
In 1659 the main marble portal was renewed and adorned with the statue of the titular saint by Francesco Antonio Picchiatti . The nave was also radically restored towards the end of the 17th and in the first half of the 18th century, without changing the architectural lines of the Renaissance , but with a sculptural and picturesque decoration in the now current Baroque style . Paintings and frescoes inside were essentially created in the 17th and 18th centuries by authors such as Luigi Garzi , Paolo De Matteis , Santolo Cirillo , Guglielmo Borremans , Giacomo del Pò, and Giuseppe Simonelli . The sculptures are by Annibale Caccavello , Pietro Benaglia , Giovan Battista Colombo and Matteo Bottiglieri .
The Renaissance-like features of the building were always very much appreciated later on. In his Guide to Naples, written in 1724, Carlo Celano also emphasized that the dome of Santa Caterina was the first of its kind in Neapolitan architecture:
“... it (the dome; editor's note) was seen as a miracle in its time, since it was the first in this city of ours; and it served as a model for the others who were made later [...].
« [...] fu passata in quei tempi per una meraviglia, essendo la prima che fusse stata in questa nostra città: e questa è servita d'esempio all'altre, che sono state fatte appresso [...] ». "
Between 1706 and 1708, on behalf of the Deputazione del Tesoro, the so-called edicola di San Gennaro was set up in the churchyard , and in 1739 the relics of the martyrs of Otranto were moved again, this time in the second chapel on the left.
In the course of the 19th century, Murat ordered the suppression of the Dominican order in 1806, and from 1815 a large part of the monastery was converted into a military wool factory on the orders of the new King of Naples, Ferdinand I. In 1901 the relics of the martyrs of Otranto were relocated again and found their final place in the fourth chapel on the left. The church finally suffered serious structural damage during the Irpinia earthquake in 1980, which led to a long and important phase of restoration .
plan
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Interior
The interior in the form of a Latin cross consists of a single nave with a barrel vault . Five square chapels open on both sides . The transept and apse are also square, in such a way that the church forms a perfect rectangle on the outside. The apse and side chapels are also barrel vaulted.
The marble floor with inlaid grave slabs dates from the middle of the 16th century and, like the pulpit, was created by Francesco Antonio Gandolfi . In the middle of the church, the entrance to the crypt of the Sisters of the Rosary opens in the floor, where there is also a fresco of the Madonna of the Rosary .
Around 1695 Luigi Garzi painted the fresco Martyrdom of Saint Catherine on the entrance facade, and also the Mystical Wedding of Saint Catherine in the vault of the nave. The remarkable dome rises above the crossing on a high drum, which is decorated on the outside with pilaster strips of Corinthian order from Piperno on a white background. The pendentives of the dome were also frescoed by Garzi in 1698 with allegories of faith , chastity , repentance and meekness , while in the center of the dome you can see a fresco by Paolo De Matteis from 1712: The Madonna, Santa Catherine and the patron saints of Naples ask the Trinity for theirs Favor .
In the apse there are valuable choir stalls carved in 1566 by the Lombard master Benvenuto Tortelli . The fresco in the vaulted Triumph of Judith is by Guglielmo Borremans, on the side walls two scenes, Miracles of Saint Dominic and Moses Gushing Water from the Rock, by Nicola Maria Rossi .
Left side chapels
The first chapel on the left belonged to the Longobard family Tocco , whose coat of arms can be seen on the tile floor, including an inscription from 1554. In addition to some tombs of Neapolitan families, there is a Madonna and Child and Saint James the Elder. J. and Jakobus d. Ä. , the first documented work by Francesco Curia from 1586. The chapel is also called "degli Innocenti" because it used to contain the painting of the Bethlehemite child murder by Matteo di Giovanni , which is now in the Museo di Capodimonte .
The second chapel ( dei domenicani ) is dedicated to Vincenzo Maria Orsini , Bishop of Benevento from 1686, and from 1724 Pope with the name Benedict XIII. He had a very strong connection to the Catherine Order and several halls in the monastery were available to him for his numerous stays. In the chapel you can see Antonio Gamba's Pope Benedict XIII as well as various relics . between Holy Dominicans from 1732; the vault is decorated with stucco in the Neapolitan baroque style.
The third Cappella di San Giacomo belonged to the Portuguese family De Sylva , as evidenced by a grave slab from 1536 on the floor. A later member of the family, Vincenzo Maria, Bishop of Calvi , commissioned beautification work in 1698, including the altarpiece Saint James with John and Peter , from the school of Silvestro Buono , and three works by Giuseppe Simonelli : The Sermon of Saint James , Martyrdom of St. James , and the vaulted fresco Glory of St. James.
The fourth chapel, once dedicated to the Tales of the Virgin , is now entirely dedicated to the Martyrs of Otranto , 240 of whom are relics under the polychrome marble altar. These (including some almost intact skulls) were brought to the chapel around 1901, and after a recognitio canonica carried out between 2002 and 2003 , their authenticity was confirmed. Originally this chapel was named after the Visitation of the Virgin Mary and was also adorned with a corresponding painting on the main wall. This was replaced in the early twentieth century by an altarpiece with the Martyrdom of Antonio Primaldo by Luigi Scorrano ; it is flanked on the side walls by two paintings by Luigi Garzi with the Birth of Mary on the left and the Wedding of the Virgin on the right.
The fifth and last chapel on the left has always been dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria and was decorated by Giacomo del Pò, who created an entire cycle here in 1714: the fresco Madonna with Child and Angels in the vault , Saint Catherine on the walls refuses to sacrifice idols and The Saint who quarrels with the wise , and on the main altar the altarpiece The Beheading of Saint Catherine . Like the rest of the church, the chapel is decorated with Dominican symbols (the colors black and white, and a dog lying on a book with a spool in its mouth) and symbols that recall the life of St. Catherine (a sword, a broken wheel with a hook, and a crowned head). The floor is decorated with majolica from the 16th century.
Right side chapels
The first chapel on the right is dedicated to the Dominican holy hyacinth . On the altar and on the walls there are three paintings on the life of the Hyacinth by Angelo Mozzillo from 1797.
The second chapel was designed in 1549 and belonged to the De Castellis family , whose coat of arms can be seen on the majolica floor with the year 1576. The room shows stories from the life of Jesus and houses a valuable painting by Silvestro Buono with the Adoration of the Magi with Saints Catherine of Alexandria and Catherine of Siena from 1597 above the altar. The other paintings were created by Paolo De Matteis around 1720, including on the sides the flight to Egypt and circumcision .
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The following Pentecostal chapel also contains works by Paolo De Matteis, this time from around 1712: on the ceiling the Trinity and on the sides The Holy Spirit comes over St. Philip and The Holy Spirit comes over the Dominicans ; the altar painting Whitsun miracle is attributed to Silvestro Buono.
The fourth chapel on the right is owned by the Tomacelli family , but formerly the Acciapaccia family , whose coat of arms appears on the floor. On the main altar is an altarpiece by Flemish Wenzel Cobergher from around 1590, depicting the Madonna and Child and Saints Thomas Aquinas , Catherine of Alexandria and Catherine of Siena . Otherwise the room contains three funerary monuments: on the left, dated 1604, the tomb of Federico Tomacelli, Marquis of Chiusano ; including the grave of his wife Antonia Pisanelli. On the right wall, the tomb of Luigi Acciapaccia, the first owner of the chapel, who bought it in 1544 for 300 ducats , was created in 1552 by Annibale Caccavello .
The fifth and last chapel on the right was first owned by the Raviniano family , whose grave monuments from the 16th century were later moved to the cloister . In the 18th century it was dedicated to two Dominicans, after whom it is also named: Saint Vincenzo Ferrer and Pope Pius V. Santolo Cirillo painted both the altarpiece and the frescoes on the walls and in the vault in 1733. The majolica floor was created by Luca Iodice in 1539 .
Madonna of the Rosary of Santa Caterina a Formiello
Martino organ in Santa Caterina a Formiello
literature
- AA.VV .: Napoli e dintorni , Touring Club Italiano, Milan 2007. ISBN 978-88-365-3893-5 (Italian)
- Carlo Celano: Delle notizie del bello, dell'antico e del curioso della città di Napoli , Naples, 1692. (Italian)
- Gennaro Aspreno Galante: Le chiese di Napoli. Guida sacra alla città, la storia, le opere d'arte ei monumenti , Solemar Edizioni, Mugnano di Napoli 2007. (Italian)
- Maria Caputi: Napoli rivelata. Gli spazi sacri del centro antico , D'Auria M. Editore, Napoli 1994. ISBN 978-88-7092-097-0 (Italian)
- Giovanni Ippolito: Specierie Domenicane a Napoli. Sei secoli di storia , editrice EDI, Naples, 2006. (Italian)
- Francesco Domenico Moccia & Dante Caporali: NapoliGuida. Tra Luoghi e Monumenti della città storica , Clean editore, Napoli 2001. ISBN 88-86701-87-X (Italian)
- Marco Petreschi: La chiesa di S. Caterina a Formiello a Napoli. Ipotesi per una attribuzione (= Il progetto. 6, ZDB -ID 1147314-9 ). Officina Editore, Rome 1991. (Italian)
- Nicola Spinosa (scientific coordination), Gemma Cautela, Leonardo Di Mauro, Renato Ruotolo (curators): Napoli sacra. Guida alle chiese della città , Naples, 1993–1997. (Italian)
- Regina Vincenzo: Le chiese di Napoli. Viaggio indimenticabile attraverso la storia artistica, architettonica, letteraria, civile e spirituale della Napoli sacra , Newton & Compton editore, Rome 2004. ISBN 88-8183-110-4 (Italian)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e AA.VV .: Napoli e dintorni , Touring Club Italiano Milano 2007, p. 222
- ↑ Uberto Potenza, Il sistema Bolla-Carmignano e l'alimentazione della città
- ↑ a b c d e f g Official website of Santa Caterina a Formiello, on- line , viewed March 2, 2017
- ^ Giovanni Ippolito: Specierie Domenicane a Napoli. Sei secoli di storia , editrice EDI, Naples, 2006
- ^ Carlo Celano: Delle notizie del bello, dell'antico e del curioso della città di Napoli , Naples, 1692.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m AA.VV .: Napoli e dintorni , Touring Club Italiano Milano 2007, p. 223
- ↑ a b AA.VV .: Napoli e dintorni , Touring Club Italiano, Milan 2007, p 224
Web links
- Official website of the Church of Santa Caterina a Formiello, online , seen on March 2, 2017