Santa Maria Egiziaca a Forcella
| Chiesa di Santa Maria Egiziaca a Forcella, Santa Maria Egiziaca all'Olmo
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| Patronage : | Mary of Egypt |
Coordinates: 40 ° 30 ′ 21.1 ″ N , 14 ° 9 ′ 18.5 ″ E
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Santa Maria Egiziaca a Forcella is a church in Naples in the Forcella district , on Rettifilo (Corso Umberto I). Due to the uniformity of its style, it is considered one of the most beautiful examples of the Neapolitan baroque . Since the facade originally faced the Piazza dell'Olmo, the church is sometimes referred to as Santa Maria Egiziaca all'Olmo .
There is a second church in Naples dedicated to St. Mary of Egypt , Santa Maria Egiziaca a Pizzofalcone on the hill of Pizzofalcone .
history
The church was founded in 1342 under the auspices of Queen Sancha of Aragon . The queen herself was very pious and entered a Poor Clare monastery after her husband's death . The church and its buildings were intended as a place of refuge for donne di mondo convertite , that is, prostitutes or women who had led a sinful worldly life that they now regretted . The choice of the titular saint Mary of Egypt , who herself after a life in prostitution became a repentant penitent who lived secluded as a holy hermit , already indicates this determination . The function of the monastery as a “home for fallen women” was later mainly taken over by the church of Santa Maria Maddalena , while Santa Maria Egiziaca became part of a small nunnery for noble women.
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The church was rebuilt in 1500 by Gabriele d'Agnolo and in 1684 by Dionisio Lazzari . The latter gave the church its current baroque appearance.
During the redesign of Naples in the 19th century, when Corso Umberto I was led directly past the church, an additional facade with a side entrance was built on the Corso; the church, however, kept its old entrance.
In the first half of the 20th century, a hospital was established in the monastery, which was later named after Cardinal Alessio Ascalesi .
description
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The baroque interior is an oval with side chapels and a domed apse . The marble decoration was designed by Nicola Tagliacozzi Canale ; As a base, white veined pink and reddish marble was used throughout, which is decorated with colorful floral inlays in typical Neapolitan style and set off with white marble and stucco.
A striking architectural and decorative element are the four gold-plated and richly carved organs , of which only the two actually carry two organs in addition to the triumphal arch to the choir chapel in the apis. The galleries next to the entrance are empty.
The main altar (1713) with masterful marble inlay in the form of flowers and garlands is the work of Gennaro Ragozzino . The altar painting The Communion of St. Mary Aegyptiaca was created by Andrea Vaccaro (dated 1668). On the side walls of the apse there are two pictures by Luca Giordano , The Conversion and The Flight of St. Maria Aegyptiaca . The frescoes between the windows and on the crossing pillars of the dome were painted by Paolo De Maio .
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The design of the side chapels is basically uniform and consists of white stucco with angel figures on the side walls. Among the altar paintings, several works by Francesco Solimena stand out: in the third chapel on the right the Madonna with Saints Angelo and Chiara di Montefalco and Saints Gaetano and Francesco ; also a Madonna with Saints Augustine and Monika . Of the other altars, the Madonna of the Rosary by Fabrizio Santafede , the Miracle of St. Nicholas by Giacomo Farelli and the Virgin Mary in Her Youth by Paolo De Matteis are particularly noteworthy .
gallery
Left apse wall with Luca Giordanos The Escape of St. Mary Aegyptiaca
Conversion of St. Mary Aegyptiaca by Luca Giordano on the right apse wall
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View of the entrance with the galleries
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Individual notes
- ^ A b Luigi Catalani: Le chiese di Napoli , Volume II, Tipografia Fu Migliaccio, Naples, 1845, p. 178, digitized
- ^ Caroline Astrid Bruzelius: The Stones of Naples: Church Building in Angevin Italy, 1266-1343 , p. 142.
literature
- Vincenzo Regina: Le chiese di Napoli. Viaggio indimenticabile attraverso la storia artistica, architettonica, letteraria, civile e spirituale della Napoli sacra. Newton e Compton editore, Napoli 2004 (Italian)
