Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore
| Basilica Santuario di Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore, Basilica Santuario del Carmine Maggiore, Chiesa del Carmine Maggiore
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| Patronage : | Maria |
| Order : | Carmelite |
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Coordinates: 40 ° 30 ′ 17.5 ″ N , 14 ° 9 ′ 37.2 ″ E The Basilica Santuario di Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore (short: Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore or Basilica Santuario del Carmine Maggiore ) is a Carmelite and Pilgrimage church with monastery in Naples , in the Piazza Mercato. In every respect, religious, historical and artistic, it is one of the most important and popular churches in the city.
The most important day of the parish is July 16, when masses are celebrated all day long during the celebrations of the “ Beata Vergine Maria del Monte Carmelo ” ( Our Lady of Mount Carmel ) , with great sympathy from the population. The Carmelite congregation is also very active in the charitable sector (food distribution for the poor, etc.).
The basilica has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995 .
history
The Madonna Bruna
The church and monastery of Santa Maria del Carmine in Naples are closely connected to the worship and cult of the Madonna " La Bruna" (or " Vergine Bruna" = brown virgin), who owes its name to the brownish color of her skin. In the Neapolitan vernacular she is affectionately known as " Mamma d'o Carmene " (that is, "Mama from Carmel").
The icon is an embodiment of the Vergine Maria del Monte Carmelo and corresponds to the Byzantine type of Glykophilousa or Eleousa , in Italian della tenerezza (= tenderness): mother and son are depicted in a moment of loving care and tenderness. The rectangular table is one meter high and 80 cm wide, and could be a work of the Tuscan school of the 13th century ( Siena ?).
The cult around this important icon can be traced back to the 13th century. At that time, in front of the city, near the sea in the area of Campo Moricino, there was a small church dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Bari . Here an icon of the Madonna and Child was kept in a “ grotto ” or crypt , which, according to later tradition, was brought from Palestine by the Carmelite monks when they had to leave Mount Carmel . The exact time of her arrival in Naples is unknown, but must be dated before 1268.
The cult of the Madonna Bruna soon spread to the surrounding population and was also promoted by the constant influx of people at the nearby market . As early as 1457, in a bull by Pope Sixtus IV , it was mentioned that the popolo napoletano came in droves to the church, which was built by the Carmelites at the end of the 13th century on the site of the little church of San Nicola di Bari.
In the holy year 1500, the Brotherhood of Cooks of Naples organized a pilgrimage to Rome , in which many other people also took part, and where they took the icon of the Vergine Bruna with them. During the journey, which began on April 7th, the Madonna is said to have worked several miracles on different people (“ ... più miracoli a diversi uomini in diverse terre ”). When you arrived in Rome on April 13th, it was displayed for worship in St. Peter's Basilica , and the crowd was so great that the Borgia Pope Alexander VI. urged the pilgrims from Naples to leave Rome because the Vergine distracted Bruna too much from Rome's own shrines. The Neapolitans left Rome on April 18th and arrived in their hometown on the 25th. During and after the trip there are said to have been further miraculous healings "on the deaf , blind and crippled " (" multi miracoli de surdi, et cechi et stroppiati ") by the Madonna, and from then on the influx of pilgrims continued to grow. Therefore, the icon that had previously been in the crypt was now exhibited on the high altar of Santa Maria del Carmine.
Another important event happened on Wednesday, June 24th of the same year 1500, when, on the orders of Ferdinand II of Aragon, many sick people gathered in the Church of the Carmine to pray to the Madonna; also during this or as a result there should have been healings again. Therefore, Wednesday was declared the day of the week of the Vergine Bruna and is also known as “mercoledì del Carmine” .
The great veneration of the Madonna Bruna del Carmine by the Neapolitan people and reports of her miraculous intervention led to negotiations with the Vatican in 1875 , which finally, by decree of June 29, 1875 to the Cardinal Archbishop of Naples, Sisto Riario Sforza , the solemn coronation of the Madonna granted. This was celebrated with a large festival lasting several days, which lasted from July 2nd to 18th of the same year. The actual coronation took place on Sunday, July 11th. To celebrate the day, the city was illuminated with gas , and at the end there was a large firework display on July 18 , which was attended by many people on hundreds of boats in the Gulf of Naples . A commemorative medal was also minted, one of which was given as a gift to Pope Pius IX. , to Cardinal Riario Sforza , Archbishop of Naples, and Cardinal Borromeo , Archpriest of the Vatican Chapter.
In the second half of the 20th and early 21st centuries, the Vergine Bruna left her sanctuary five times: for the first time on the 700th anniversary of the Scapular of Carmel in a procession lasting several days, which began on July 21, 1951 and lasted eight days. In 1974 the icon was restored. In 1990, on the occasion of a pastoral trip by Pope John Paul II to the Neapolitan diocese, the Madonna was brought to the Piazza del Plebiscito and venerated by the Pope. In 2003 it was brought to the cathedral for the 50th anniversary of the Archbishop of Naples Monsignor Michele Giordano . During the pastoral visit of Pope Benedict XVI. in Naples in 2007 the Madonna was again exhibited in Piazza Plebiscito.
Origins of the Church
The Carmelites in Naples are mentioned for the first time in a documentary manner in connection with the tragic death of the last heir to the Hohenstaufen family , Konradin , who is called Corradino in Italian . On October 29, 1268, he and his young cousin Frederick of Austria were beheaded and publicly beheaded by his adversary Karl von Anjou after his defeat in the struggle for rule in southern Italy “near the hermits” (“ presso il luogo degli eremiti ”) bury the bodies in place temporarily. In 1269 they were given a Christian burial by the Carmelites in their church.
According to popular tradition, Corradino's mother, Elisabeth of Bavaria , is said to have come to Naples in person to pay a ransom for her son ; When she found him dead, however, she is said to have donated the money to the Carmelites for the benefit of his soul. The presence of Elisabeth of Bavaria cannot be historically verified, but there is documentary evidence that the monks in the 15th and 16th centuries read a mass every day in memory of the “ imperador Corradino ” (= “Emperor Konradin”), and that this custom was maintained until the 19th century, from which it is concluded that there actually was a legacy.
On June 27, 1270, the monks of Charles I of Anjou were granted a piece of land of 3893.76 square meters for the construction of a new church, oratory and monastery. Construction began in 1283 and continued into the 14th century when a Fra 'Ruggero was prior of the monastery. The construction of the new Carmelite Church was very much supported by the ruling house of the Anjou , including a donation of 1000 ducats from Queen Margherita di Borgogna, the second wife of Charles I; other generous donations came from Francesca Seripta and Mauro Frezza. After the death of Queen Margherita (1308), the monks also read a daily mass in her honor and erected a marble statue (today in the Museum of the Certosa di San Martino ), which has long been believed to be an image of Corradino's mother.
Around 1304 the little church of San Nicola still existed, but in the following years it was "swallowed up" by the new church. This was consecrated to the Assumption of Mary (Italian: Vergine Assunta ), as was common and widespread among the Carmelites at that time. The church in its original Gothic form actually had a picture of the Assumption of Mary on the main altar, while the icon “La Bruna” was venerated in the crypt until 1500 (see above).
The consecration with the surname " del Carmine " did not take place until 1828, although the church had long been known by this name among the people.
The title "Carmine Maggiore"
The title Carmine Maggiore , the Church and Convent of the Carmelites of Naples, refers to their prominent and leading role: In the years 1321–1333 / 36 the monastery was involved with others in the attempt to establish a religious province of the Carmelite Order in the south to build. With a new subdivision of the provinces in 1472, it became the headquarters of the province of Terra di Lavoro.
In 1510, the Chiesa del Carmine of Naples housed the general chapter of the order. According to tradition, there were so many participants that it was not possible to accommodate them all, one had to switch to different accommodations and borrow equipment from the kitchen of the Castle of Capuana, i. H. from the royal kitchen.
In 1524 the monastery was placed under the direct jurisdiction of the Prior General of the Order, while his own prior enjoyed certain privileges over the provinces and held the post of " commissario " over 15 so-called " grancie " or smaller monasteries.
At the instigation of members of the monastery in Naples, another 29 monasteries were founded; Carmine Maggiore also provided important impulses for the reforms of the Council of Trent .
Like other mendicant orders , the Carmine Maggiore also had his own studies, which in 1333 was elevated to the rank of “ studium generale ”. It was particularly well cared for in the 15th and 16th centuries, and from 1578 Philip II of Spain donated 200 ducats a year to the monastery to maintain its training facility. At the time of Tanucci in the 18th century, lay people could also be trained, and it lasted until the monastery was forced to close in 1866. Thanks to it, many religious of the Carmel were able to rise to university professorships outside of Naples. The masters of the Carmelite School included: Fra 'Augerio, who was King Robert's chaplain in 1327 ; Fra 'Giovanni De Signo, multiple prior of Carmine Maggiore of Naples, and the theologian and biblical scholar Fra' Agnello († 1421). There are also many talented speakers and writers who have mainly dealt with church topics, natural sciences and philosophy .
In the old Kingdom of Naples 18 rose from the order of Carmine Maggiore to bishops and 2 to archbishops of various dioceses. About twenty of his monks died in the state of holiness .
Masaniello
The Carmelite Church came in 1647 in the center of the famous revolt of Masaniello , which began just before the church in the Piazza del Mercato on 7 July.
In the monastery itself negotiations between Masaniello and the Spanish viceroy and Cardinal Filomarino as mediator were conducted. On July 16, exactly on the holiday of the Madonna del Carmine, Masaniello took refuge in the church while mass was ongoing because he was persecuted and accused of being a traitor and a madman. He interrupted the mass, undressed and gave his last speech to the people.
At the request of the monks, he stopped and went to the monastery building, where he was shot in a corridor by armed people and then beheaded; the body was thrown into a ditch in front of the Carmel Gate. After the head had been carried through the whole city and presented to the viceroy, the body and head were washed and assembled by the people in the waters of the Sebeto River , and after a solemn procession they were buried in Santa Maria del Carmine at 3 a.m.
After these events from 1648 onwards, the Carmelite Convent was occupied by Spanish soldiers for the next 14 years, until a more peaceful solution was found through the intervention of the Prior General Girolamo Ari in 1662.
Masaniello's remains remained in the Carmelite Church of Naples until 1799, when a revolution for a Neapolitan republic was forcibly suppressed and King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon ordered Masaniello to be exhumed and "scattered" his remains to the four winds in order to remember any memory To wipe out resistance to royal authority.
Two plaques were later placed for Masaniello: one in the monastery building where he was murdered and one in the nave where his grave was once located (see picture).
After the French Revolution until the 21st century
A few years earlier, after the French Revolution , troubled and difficult times had begun for the Carmelite monastery of Naples. In 1792, when the state treasury was completely empty due to military actions, around 23 pounds of gold and around 1795 pounds of silver were confiscated from the Carmel’s property to offset the tight state budget - a total of 29,751 ducats. The following year the monastery was forced to pay the state an additional 1,000 ducats, and in 1794 an additional 1,500 ducats "for urgent needs of the city and the kingdom".
After the proclamation and failure of the Parthenopean republic in 1799, 35 exponents of the revolution who were beheaded in Piazza Mercato were buried in the Carmine Maggiore (not 91, as is sometimes claimed), in the atrium of the church, in the chapter house and in the monastery. Among them were: Mons. Natale (Bishop of Vico Equense), Ettore Carafa (Count of Rufo), Francesco Mario Pagano, Domenico Cirillo, the Carmelite Father Francesco Saverio Granata (mathematics professor at the Royal Military Academy of Naples), and the noblewoman Luisa Sanfelice.
As a result, the Carmelite monastery was violently dissolved several times: first on March 1, 1799, when the monks were forced to leave the monastery "because of military and civilian requirements". They had already moved to Gesù Vecchio or San Salvatore on the following March 9th , where they were surprised by searches and arrests. However, in June of the same year they were able to return to Santa Maria del Carmine and carry out the most urgent repairs. In October 1809, when most of the orders were dissolved during the reign of Joachim Murat , the Carmelites were also expelled from Naples. With the return of the Bourbons, they were able to return to their monastery in 1820, but were driven out again in 1866 by the suppression of religious bodies introduced by the new Italian state. The church went into the care of the Cardinal Archbishop of Naples for a few decades.
In 1896 the church and part of the monastery were returned to the order.
On December 18, 1917, Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore was founded by Pope Benedict XV. elevated to Basilica minore in his “ Templa Dei ” breve ; the corresponding ceremonies took place on June 26, 1918.
Since 1947 the Carmine Maggiore of Naples has been the headquarters of the commissariat, which is called “Santa Maria La Bruna” after the Madonna who is venerated here, and which unites and coordinates all the monasteries in the religious province.
At the request of Cardinal Alfonso Castaldo , Archbishop of Naples, Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore officially became a parish ( parrocchia ) on December 9, 1964 and the monastery has since devoted itself to the work and duties associated with it.
description
The originally Gothic building was completely renovated in the course of the 17th and 18th centuries, in which the most important architects and artists of Naples participated and to which it owes its current baroque appearance.
Exterior
The facade was built in 1766 according to plans by Giovanni Del Gaizo. The 75 meter high campanile is striking , nicknamed " Fra 'Nuvolo " (actually: "Brother Nebel") by the Neapolitan people after one of its builders, the Dominican and architect Fra' Giuseppe Nuvolo . The tower rests on a base made of piperno , which still comes from the old bell tower from the 14th century, which was destroyed in an earthquake in 1456. The square lower part of the tower was built between 1612 and 1620 by the architect Giovanni Giacomo Conforto and consists of three floors of different orders in the order Ionic , Doric , Corinthian (from below). Above it, Fra 'Nuvolo erected two octagonal storeys in 1622 with a kind of onion dome top, which is decorated with colored Maiolica tiles. The tower has five bells , the largest of which is 1.47 m in diameter; the people saved them from melting down several times, for the first time at the beginning of the 19th century under Joachim Murat and later again under Ferdinand II. The crowning globe with the cross measures 110 cm in diameter.
The following are the main information and names of the bells of Santa Maria del Carmine:
- Sant'Alberto (1546): on the side facing the sea; Diameter: 74 cm; is also called Sant'Antonino (protector of sailors);
- Sant'Angelo Martire (1546): towards the Loreto district; Diameter: 86 cm; called campana del Loreto (= Bell of Loreto);
- Santa Barbara (1746): on the side of Via Lavinaio; Diameter: 114 cm, weighs 11 cantara and 40 rotoli; is also called Maria Barbara or Lavenarella ;
- Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi (1712): located on Piazza Carmine; Diameter: 128 cm, weighs 18 cantara and 38 rotoli; called Maria Maddalena Teresa ;
- Santa Maria del Carmine (1746): located in the center of the campanile; Diameter: 147 cm, weighs 23 cantara and 70 rotoli; also called Carmela .
Interior
The interior of the church consists of a single nave with side chapels and the apse with the chapel of Madonna Bruna at the end. It is 75 meters long and 19 meters wide and 16 meters high. The top of the nave is closed off by a magnificent, partially gilded coffered ceiling ; Two of the five rows of cassettes are studded with large sixteen-pointed stars and in the middle a Madonna and Child hovers on clouds, the representation of which is based on the Madonna Bruna (see illustration below). On the gallery made of gilded wood (17th century) above the three entrance doors stands the large monumental organ (see below).
The church is a masterpiece of the Neapolitan Baroque with a very uniform décor made of white-veined pink or rose-red marble , set off and decorated with other types of marble, etc. a. in the colors white, yellow and green. The side chapels are framed by double pilasters of the Corinthian order, decorated with floral motifs made of polychrome marble and above the arches with white angel heads. Most of the marble decoration on the side altars was created in the 18th century by the Cimafonti brothers based on designs by Nicola Tagliacozzi-Canale . Each chapel is separated from the nave by a marble- adorned balustrade and wrought-iron grille with brass decoration. In several chapels there are either frescoes or altarpieces by Francesco Solimena .
Behind the two rows of side chapels on the right and left in front of the apse are two organs in gold-plated and finely carved baroque cases; one is above the door to the cloister, the other above the door to Via Carmine.
The pulpit on the right side of the nave was built in 1753 according to plans by Nicola Tagliacozzi-Canale and replaces an earlier one from the 17th century by Simone Vacca . Next to it is a statue of the Archangel Michael by an unknown artist from the 16th century.
Opposite the pulpit on the left side of the ship is a monumental ideal statue of Corradino von Hohenstaufen made of white marble, which the Danish sculptor Thorvaldsen created in 1847 for Maximilian II of Bavaria .
The tabernacle , which was replaced in 1766 by an earlier one from 1459, rises on the platform between the nave and the crossing . On it stands the “miraculous crucifix” (“ Crocifisso miracoloso ”), so called because the figure of Christ is said to have avoided a cannonball by tilting its head during the siege by the Aragonese in 1439 ; the ball has been preserved and is carefully kept in the crypt. The crucifix itself comes from an anonymous author in the 14th century and is made of linden wood with a stucco frame painted in color.
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The semicircular apse with the majestic main altar was designed by Cosimo Fanzago in 1670 , the splendid marble decoration was carried out by father and son Scopetti. On the walls next to the middle niche with the chapel of Madonna Bruna , four niches made of marble from Portovenere with vases made of alabaster open up . The main altar is one of the best and most important Pietra dura works in Naples, which is not exactly poor on such works of art: many selected types of marble and precious semi- precious stones were used, including agates , onyx , lapis lazuli , mother-of-pearl and amethysts . Behind it a round arch opens to the chapel with the venerated portrait of the Madonna Bruna in the center.
The icon (see above) is in a precious white marble shrine. The 3.68 m high and 2.46 m wide aedicula is considered by some to be the work of Tommaso Malvito (1510), while others attribute it to Bartolomé Ordóñez or Giacomo Brixia. The frame is formed by two outer pilasters, each with four small niches, in which there are statues of saints and prophets . In the center of the arch in between is the image of the Madonna, in the lunette directly above the image hovers the dove of the Holy Spirit , the whole is surrounded by angels , four on the sides and a semicircle of five seraphim above. Below the Madonna is a small relief with two angels holding the handkerchief of Veronica with the face of Christ, and below that a larger relief with the Resurrection , surrounded by other sculptures of saints.
The tomb of Friedrich von Österreich , the cousin of Corradino von Hohenstaufen (see above), is still located in this chapel today .
The stucco decorations from the 18th century in the upper part of the apse and the ornaments in the vaulted ceiling were restored several times: in 1875, 1910, 1919 and finally in 1936, after damage from an earthquake in 1930. In medallions you can see some saints of the Carmelite Order: Pope Telesforo, Pier Tommaso, Teresa di Gesù and Maria Maddalena de'Pazzi. The floor of the presbytery and the crossing and the altar were renewed in 1971.
To the right of the crossing is an altar of the Assumption of the Virgin with a painting by Solimena from 1708; Among the figures of the apostles is an elderly man with an expressive face, who is possibly a self-portrait of the painter. There are also two other holy Carmelites: San Brocardo and San Cirillo di Alessandria. A small altar nearby is dedicated to Saint Carlo Borromeo and bears an image of the saint from 1585.
To the left of the crossing is the altar "del SS. Mo Crocifisso", with frescoes by Solimena. The gilded wood crucifix from the 15th century belonged to the Brotherhood of Cooks, who had their headquarters in Santa Caterina in Foro Magno. The cross was taken along with the Madonna Bruna on the famous pilgrimage to Rome in 1500 (see above). A legend claims that it "could no longer carry back" and therefore remained after returning from Rome here in the Basilica. There are also portraits of two other Carmelite saints: Angelo di Sicilia and Avertano.
In this chapel was probably Masaniello's tomb .
Next to the chapel of the Madonna Bruna is the Sala degli ex-voto with votive offerings from believers who have received help from the Madonna.
Side chapels
There are six side chapels on both sides of the nave, making a total of 12. On the right side of the entrance towards the apse are:
- The Cappella di S. Nicola di Bari with an anonymous altarpiece from the 17th century and a statue of Mater Dolorosa from the 1st half of the 20th century.
- In the chapel of Saint Simone Stock , the altarpiece of the saint with another Carmelite was painted by Mattia Preti in 1684 . The artist is said to have made a mistake at first and inadvertently depicted the two saints in the regalia of the Dominicans , so the picture was sent back to Malta so that he could correct the mistake. Various memorial plaques on the walls.
- The third is the chapel of the Madonna of Cholera , which takes its name from the gilded wooden Madonna figure above the altar. This was created in the 17th century by Giovanni Conte, known as "the dwarf " (" il Nano "), and carried through the city in processions during cholera epidemics or in times of other difficulties; to the right and left of it two columns made of Sicilian marble.
- The following chapel is dedicated to the blessed Carmelite Franco, who is also depicted in the three paintings by Giovanni Sarnelli (1761). The ceiling fresco by Solimena shows the Holy Spirit. The chapel stands out because of its particularly beautiful and magnificent marble inlay .
- The fifth chapel is dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie (= Madonna of Mercy). The altarpiece by Fabrizio Santafede shows the Madonna with the four saints (Francis of Assisi, Antonius of Padua, Andrea Corsini and S. Agnello Abate) and with souls in purgatory (end of the 16th century). The vaults are frescoed with scenes from the Old Testament , probably by Solimena. In the chapel there is also the funeral monument of the Council President Marquis Carlo Danza, which was created by Matteo Bottigliero in 1756/1757 .
- The sixth and last on the right is dedicated to the Holy Carmelites Angelo and Pier Tommaso, with an altarpiece by Francesco De Mura . The pictures on the side walls are by Paolo de Maio and depict the Blessed Carmelites Angelo Mazzinghi and Giovanna Scopelli. The two painters were students of Solimena and all three paintings were created in 1775. The plaques commemorate some of the General Priorities of the Carmelite Order from the late 18th century.
The chapels on the left from the entrance are:
- The first chapel is dedicated to the patron saints of Naples, Saints Gennaro ( Januarius ) and Irene , who can also be seen on the altarpiece by Giovanni Sarnelli together with the Holy Trinity. The baptismal font is also located here . A marble monument presents a bust of Giacomo Carola (1631).
- The altarpiece in the second chapel depicts Saints Ursula and Maria Magdalena , it is the work of Andrea d'Aste. The altar with marble inlay was made by the mozzetti. In 1926 the picture with St. Teresa di Gesù Bambino was placed underneath; the pictures on the side are by Giuseppe Aprea . The colored maiolica floor is also from 1926, by the Vaccarella company, which also made lavishly painted vases for the basilica.
- The third is the Cappella di S. Gregorio Magno (or the Purgatory ). The altarpiece is attributed to Giovanni Bernardo Lama, although it was signed by Giovanni Sarnelli, who may have only reworked it in 1774. Some experts suspect the picture was made by Sarnelli as a copy of a painting by Lama.
- The fourth chapel is again dedicated to two Carmelites, St. Teresa di Gesù and Maria Maddalena de 'Pazzi. The 18th century painting is by Paolo di Majo , and the ovals on the side walls depicting scenes from the lives of the saints were done by Domenico Viola . Idelfonso Nini, a commander of the Castello del Carmine (+1795), is buried here.
- The altarpiece in the chapel of St. Anne was painted by Paolo De Matteis, it shows Anna with the Virgin Mary and St. John . The two paintings on the left and right are works by Francesco Solimena and depict John the Evangelist and John the Baptist , to whom the chapel was originally dedicated. The frescoes in the vault with the Savior and the four evangelists are by Solimena . The altar with marble incrustations was created by Mozzetti based on a design by Cosimo Fanzago .
- The sixth and last chapel of the Prophet Elias is in its entirety the work of Solimena, who worked here in 1696. The altar made of Sicilian marble and with a coat of arms made of pietra dura is also remarkable .
sacristy
The sacristy was built in rococo style in 1736 according to plans by Tagliacozzi-Canale . The marble decor is by Giuseppe and Gennaro Cimmafonti, the stucco by Pietro Bonocore, the ornaments on the walls by Giuseppe Melillo and the gilding by Gaetano Tacca. Filippo Falciati (or Falciatore) painted the frescoes : on the ceiling The Sacrifice of the Prophet Elias on Mount Carmel , and on the main wall The Prophet Eleazar during the famine in Samaria . The medallions of the vault with saints of the Carmelite Order were made by Falciati in 1741. These are the saints: S. Alberto, S. Andrea Corsini, S. Angelo Martire; and on the right S. Maria Maddalena de 'Pazzi, S. Cirillo d'Alessandria and S. Teresa di Gesù. All the frescoes were restored by Giuseppe Aprea in 1937.
The altar was in 1742 by Charles III. Donated by Bourbon, the altarpiece by Falciati shows the "Madonna with Saints Sebastian, Karl and Amalia".
The ornate "dummy furniture" made of walnut on the walls was designed by Giovanni Battista Bisogni and his brothers - in reality, behind it there are doors to the main altar and the chapel of the Madonna, to the church and to other ancillary rooms, such as a small salon, a sala Offerte and the penitenzeria (which is only open to repentant penitents).
Cloister and monastery
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The cloister of the monastery of Carmine Maggiore can be reached from the church. It was originally built in the fourteenth century, but remodeled in the 17th and 18th centuries; further " restorations " took place in 1775, in the 19th century and in 1957.
The monastery building initially consisted of a series of low, mostly one-story buildings. The cloister therefore originally only had a series of arcades and above it a terrace that could be reached from the cells. The ever increasing number of monks, and various other reasons, such as repeated earthquakes since 1466 or the fire of 1755, led to the monastery being rebuilt again and again.
Particularly profound changes were made in the 17th and 18th centuries. The cloister was raised in two steps, first on all sides by one floor, then on three sides by a second floor. This work led to the incorporation of the original granite columns into the masonry in the form of almost square pilasters.
On the walls of the cloister there are frescoes with scenes from the life of the prophets Elias and Eleazar, some Carmelite legends and scenes from the history of the Order and its saints. They were started by Leonardo de Grazia from Pistoia , and later completed by Giovanni Balducci ; In 1606 Balducci created a grotesque style decoration in the vaults . 23 life-size pictures of superiors general of the order are unique.
Various tombs can be seen along the walls of the cloister, parts of the old floor, some of which date from the 15th century, have been preserved. A female marble figure is reminiscent of a certain " Sionna Grandidoma ", a Carmelite woman from the 15th century. In the south wing there is a remarkable turret with clock and quadrant from the 18th century and with a decoration in "Majolica arabescata" of the Neapolitan school; in front of it there is also a sundial from the same era.
A door on the west side (1631) once led to the Congregation of Mount Carmel, the premises of which were destroyed by bombs in World War II .
Lately (as of 2018) various restorations have been carried out in the building. The expansion of Via Marittima led to the demolition of the “small” cloister from the 15th century, of which only a few remains can be seen.
Curiosities
- In 1967 the funeral of the famous comedian Totò took place in the basilica , and in 2006 also the funeral of Mario Merola .
- There is a Neapolitan proverb referring to the campanile of the Chiesa del Carmine: 'e scagnato' o Campanario d''o Carmene pe nu cuoppo 'e aulive (Italian: "hai scambiato il campanile del Carmine per un coppo di olive" ), in German: "to exchange the Campanile from Carmel for a glass of olives", which indicates that someone was wrong.
- The exclamation Mamma d''o Carmene is common in Naples .
organ
The large organ above the entrance dates from the beginning of the 20th century and was built at the request of Padre Elia Alleva; the contract with the organ builder Francesco Mascia und Sohn for an organ with pneumatic transmission was signed on October 1st, 1905. The arrangement was designed by the organist at the time, Eduardo Bottigliero. The instrument received its public consecration by Marco Enrico Bossi and Ulisse Matthey on July 10th, 11th and 12th, 1907, and on July 14th there was a concert at which Bossi, Matthey and Bottigliero played. The instrument was the first of its kind in Naples in terms of size and technique.
The instrument originally had three manuals with 58 keys and a pedal with a range of 30 tones, and had 44 registers with a total of 2824 pipes , as well as various other devices, such as rockers etc.
In 1913, Bottigliero was the organist of the church, followed by Franco Michele Napolitano, who also played the first radio-broadcast organ concert in Italy for what was then EIAR (today: Rai ), and then almost every Sunday from March 1938 to December 1942 in radio broadcasts throughout Italy could be heard. In 1939, to celebrate the restoration of the coffered ceiling, a large concert was given in the presence of Maria José of Belgium , Princess of Piedmont, but the tradition of organ concerts was interrupted by the Second World War.
In 1941 Vincenzo Marchetti became the title organist who accompanied many great singers of the era, such as Beniamino Gigli , who sang in a church without a ceiling in 1952 because it had been damaged by an explosion on a munitions ship in the nearby harbor; other famous singers were Tito Schipa (1952), Mario del Monaco , Enzo De Mura Lomanto, Mino Cavallo, Gianni Raimondi , Ettore Bastianini , Elena Souliotis , Rajna Kabaiwanska and many others.
In 1973 the organ was modernized by the Ruffatti company from Padua, which set up an electrical transmission and added new registers; in addition, the organ was coupled with the baroque organ near the apse.
Currently (as of 2018) this instrument by Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore is the largest church organ in Naples.
Description and disposition
The organ has an electric action and 66 stops. These are distributed across three different bodies in different places in the Church:
- on the gallery above the entrance is the Grand'Organo (second manual), the so-called Espressivo (third manual), the Solo espressivo (fourth manual) and the pedal; in the two-sided prospectus there are principal pipes .
- on the gallery next to the last side chapel on the right, in the original baroque case, there is still the pipe material of the organ built by Felice Cimmino in 1714 . It can be played using the first manual of the great organ and is called the Positivo barocco ; it has two pedal stops of its own;
- opposite it, on the baroque “twin” gallery on the left, there is another work called Corale espressivo, which is also operated by the first manual of the large organ.
The works can be played from two gaming tables : the first is on the large gallery above the entrance, the second is near the presbytery; both have manuals of 61 keys and pedals of 32 keys.
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literature
- Gabriele Monaco: S. Maria del Carmine detta “La Bruna” , Laurenziana, Naples 1975.
- Gabriele Monaco: Piazza Mercato - sette secoli di storia (seconda edizione), Laurenziana, Naples 1982.
- Tommaso Quagliarella: Il Carmine Maggiore di Napoli , Salvatore Mazzolino, Taranto 1932.
- Vincenzo Regina: Le chiese di Napoli. Viaggio indimenticabile attraverso la storia artistica, architettonica, letteraria, civile e spirituale della Napoli sacra , Newton e Compton editore, Naples 2004.
See also
Web links
- Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore website: online , viewed October 30, 2018 (Italian; also main source for this article!)
- The Basilica del Carmine Maggiore on the "gcatholic" website , viewed on November 1st, 2018 (Italian, English)
- Information on the organ of Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore on the organist Maurizio Rea's website , as seen on November 2, 2018 (Italian)
Individual notes
- ↑ a b c d Website of Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore: online-home , viewed October 30, 2018
- ^ Page of the Basilica del Carmine Maggiore on "gcatholic" , viewed on November 1, 2018 (Italian / English)
- ↑ Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore website: subpage “Icona Madonna Bruna” , viewed on October 30, 2018
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w website of Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore: subpage “storia” , viewed on October 30, 2018
- ↑ Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore website: subpage “mercoledì del carmine” , viewed on October 30, 2018
- ↑ a b c d e website of Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore: subpage “incoronazione” , viewed on October 30, 2018
- ↑ a b c d e website of Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore: subpage “nel secolo scorso” , viewed on October 30, 2018
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w website of Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore: subpage “Il Carmine Maggiore” , viewed on October 30, 2018
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i website of Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore: subpage “masaniello” , viewed on October 30, 2018
- ↑ Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore website: Subpage “La Repubblica partenopea del 1799” , viewed on October 30, 2018
- ↑ a b c d e website of Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore: subpage “facciata e campanile” , viewed on October 31, 2018
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Website of Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore: subpage “descrizione” , viewed on October 31, 2018
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Website of Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore: subpage “abside” , viewed on October 31, 2018
- ↑ a b c d website of Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore: subpage “Cappella della Madonna ed ex-voto” , viewed on October 31, 2018
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o website of Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore: subpage “cappelle laterali” , viewed on October 31, 2018
- ↑ a b c d e f g Website of Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore: subpage “Sacrestia e Penitenzeria” , viewed on October 31, 2018
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Website of Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore: subpage “Chiostro e Convento” , viewed on October 31, 2018
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i website of Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore: subpage “organi” , viewed on November 1, 2018