Santa Maria della Sanità
| Basilica di Santa Maria della Sanità, Chiesa di San Vincenzo Ferrer , Chiesa del Munacone
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| Patronage : | Maria |
| Order : | Dominican |
| Address: | Piazza Sanità 14, Naples |
Coordinates: 40 ° 30 ′ 48.5 ″ N , 14 ° 8 ′ 44.2 ″ E
The basilica Santa Maria della Sanità is the main church of the Sanità district in Naples and is located at Piazza Sanità 14. It is also known as San Vincenzo alla Sanità and among the Neapolitan people as San Vincenzo "'O Munacone" (il monacone = the great monk ) known because of a famous statue of Saint Dominican s Vincent Ferrer, venerated by the Neapolitan people, inside.
Under the church are the Catacombs of San Gaudioso , considered one of the main attractions of Naples.
history
Where the Basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità stands today was in the 4th – 5th centuries. In the 19th century, an underground cemetery outside the city walls, later known as the San Gaudioso Catacombs (Italian: Catacombe di San Gaudioso ), because Saint Gaudiosus was also buried here between 451 and 453 . The place soon developed into a place of worship with a small church.
After the relics of San Gennaro were stolen by Prince Sicone I in the 9th century and brought to Benevento , it was feared that the remains of other saints such as Gaudiosus and Severus , whose graves and shrines were also outside the walls of Naples, were stolen could become. Therefore, the relics of Gaudiosus and other saints were transferred to the city. As a result, the former place of worship was neglected and gradually abandoned.
In addition, the whole area was endangered by landslides , which caused avalanches of mud and debris to come down from the neighboring hills, which haunted the Sanità district until the 1960s and which the Neapolitans casually called "virgin lava" ( Lave dei Vergini ) are designated. As a result, the catacombs with the small church belonging to it (today's crypt of the basilica) were buried.
Centuries later, in the 16th century, there was a farmhouse in the basement of which the entrance to the former cemetery church was rediscovered. An early Christian fresco of a Madonna from the 5th – 6th centuries was also found under the mud . Founded in the 17th century, which was called Madonna della Sanità . It is the oldest representation of the Madonna in Naples and Campania to this day, and is now in one of the right side chapels of the basilica.
After the discovery of the Madonna della Sanità the place and the catacombs were the Dominicans entrusted to it by the architect Fra Nuvolo was who himself Dominicans, could build a church. The ceremonial laying of the cornerstone of the basilica took place on 19 September 1602 by Archbishop Cardinal Alfonso Gesualdo held, with the participation of the most important members of the local aristocracy and the people. The construction work dragged on until 1610. The dome was completed in 1613, the choir between 1618 and 1620.
The San Gaudioso catacombs themselves were used as a cemetery again in the 17th century, where mostly nobles were buried.
The Dominican monastery complex belonging to the church was expanded by Cosimo Fanzago . At the beginning of the 19th century under Joachim Murat , the monks (like many others) were driven out, and the monastery building was almost completely demolished because of the construction of the great bridge (the Ponte della Sanità ), which was supposed to facilitate access to the Royal Palace of Capodimonte .
During a cholera epidemic in 1836, the statue of Saint Vincenzo Ferrer was carried out of the church in procession through the city, and it was attributed to the miraculous work of the saint that the epidemic then evaporated. Since then, a procession has been celebrated every first Tuesday in July in memory of this and the church is also known as San Vincenzo "'O Munacone" in the Neapolitan vernacular .
In 1991, under a painting from the 19th century, a fresco of a “ Byzantine ” Madonna and Child between two saints from the 9th century was found in the crypt , which was restored in 2011 during a thorough restoration campaign of the catacombs.
Another restoration that began in spring 2017 also restored the beauty of the heavily dilapidated Baroque crypt (or “holy grotto”) that leads to the catacombs.
Today, the church is considered to be an important center of the Sanità district and a catalyst for positive changes, which in addition to the aforementioned restorations also include social projects for young people in the district, among others. a. The social cooperative “ La Paranza ” was established in 2006 , which also looks after the archaeological site of the catacombs.
description
The outer
The stucco decorations on the facade date from the 18th century. The dome, visible from afar and from the Ponte della Sanità, is decorated with yellow and green Maiolica tiles. The clock on the Campanile , built between 1612 and 1614, also has a maiolica decoration.
plan
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Interior
The church is considered to be one of Fra Nuvolo's most daring projects. It has a very unusual floor plan , roughly diamond-shaped , with a Greek cross in the middle, which is formed by the main and transepts . Around it, two smaller aisles are grouped on either side, making a total of five ships. The walls rest on 24 pillars , and around the large central dome , above the aisles, there are 12 small domes.
Another special feature is the high choir for the monks above the former early Christian basilica , which functions as a kind of open crypt (or succorpo ) through which one can get to the San Gaudioso catacombs. The high choir itself is almost invisible from the nave and is reached via two curved flights of stairs to the right and left of the wide entrance arch to the crypt.
Apart from its unusual shape, the church interior is very simple overall, the typical colored marble decorations of the Neapolitan Baroque can only be found selectively on the altars and in the decoration of the choir with the large double staircase. The pulpit on the left pillar in front of the stairs, created by Dionisio Lazzari 1677–78, is also made of polychrome marble. The marble holy water stoups from the 17th century right at the entrance bear the badge of the Dominican order.
Chapels and transept on the right
On the altars of the two transepts and the side chapels there are many interesting and valuable works by painters of the 17th century, including several pictures by Luca Giordano as well as by Andrea Vaccaro , Giovan Bernardo Azzolino , Pacecco De Rosa , Agostino Beltrano , Giovanni Balducci , Francesco Solimena u. a. There are also works by modern artists such as Gianni Pisani , Annamaria Bova and Riccardo Dalisi.
In the first chapel on the right is an altarpiece by Luca Giordano showing St. Nicholas with Blessed Ceslao of Cracow and St. Luigi Bertrando . On the right wall is the fresco of the Madonna della Sanità from the 4th to 5th centuries, the discovery of which led to the construction of the church in the 16th century.
The second chapel is dedicated to Saint Peter Martyr . The altarpiece shows the martyrdom of the saint (around 1610) by the hand of the Florentine painter Giovanni Balducci. It is one of the earliest images created for the church.
The third chapel of St. Vincent Ferrer has an altarpiece by Luca Giordano.
This is followed by the large chapel in the right transept with a rosary Madonna by Giovan Bernardino Azzolino from 1612 on the monumental gilded altar.
The altar paintings in the fifth and sixth chapels on the right were created by Andrea Vaccaro in 1659 and depict the Mystical Wedding of St. Catherine , and St. Catherine of Siena receives the stigmata .
In the seventh chapel on the right you can see Luca Giordano's Glory of St. San Pius V with Albertus Magnus and other saints , which was created 1671–72 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the victory of Lepanto and for the establishment of the Rosary Festival ( festa della Beata Vergine del Rosario ).
Chapels and transept on the left
The altarpiece in the first chapel to the left of the entrance is by Luca Giordano and shows the ecstasy of Magdalena (1671–72).
The following chapel is dedicated to Saint Thomas Aquinas and has an altarpiece by Pacecco De Rosa from 1652. In the chapel there is also a bishopric ( cattedra episcopale ), the construction of which is estimated to be between the 6th and 9th centuries.
In the Antisagrestia , votive offerings from believers to Saint Vincenzo “il Monacone” are kept. The room itself was frescoed by Giovan Battista Di Pino in 1625 and leads to the elliptical cloister, which today lies next to the Ponte della Sanità bridge. In the sacristy there is an altar made of colored marble from 1728.
The paintings in the left transept ( Cappellone della Circoncisione ) date from the early 17th century. The large altarpiece with the circumcision was painted by Giovan Vincenzo D'Onofrio in 1612. On the left altar you can see a Santa Lucia by Girolamo De Magistro, the right picture is a work by Giovanni Balducci from 1623, and shows Saint Dominic distributing the rosary .
The third chapel on the left is dedicated to the Annunciation and has a corresponding representation by Bernardo Azzolino from 1629.
The Madonna with the Saints Hyacinth , Rosa von Lima and Agnes in the fourth chapel on the left is again a work by Luca Giordano from 1671.
The altarpiece of the fifth chapel was created by Agostino Beltrano around 1654, it shows San Biagio between Saints Anthony and Raimondo .
Apse and high choir
In the apse, the high choir of the monks crowned by the large organ and the two curved runs of the marble-adorned staircase to the right and left of the wide entrance arch to the crypt and catacombs form an impressive and very special ensemble. The marble decoration of the high altar dates from the 18th century. The ciborium on the altar was created by the Dominican brother Azaria in 1628. The choir stalls were carved by Michelangelo Cecere and Leonardo Bozzaotra between 1618 and 1620. The sculpture of the Madonna della Sanità in the niche above the organ is the work of Michelangelo Naccherino from the beginning of the 17th century. In the apse calotte, Crescenzo Gamba created an Eternal Father in Glory in the 18th century .
Organ and apse with the Madonna della Sanità by Naccherino
Crypt (succorpo)
Below the high choir, you descend a wide staircase into the crypt (or "holy grotto"), which is located on the site of the former early Christian cemetery church and, after restorations from 2017 , shines in its old baroque splendor. The room got its current shape after the construction of the basilica in the 17th and 18th centuries. The stucco decorations created Arcangelo Guglielmelli and Cristoforo Sax in 1708. The floor was originally from Tuff , the current Maiolica -floor dates from the 18th century. The niches above the ten side altars were frescoed with scenes of martyrs by Bernardino Fera - a student of Solimena . On the walls and floor you can see inscriptions and graves from a period from the 5th to the 19th century. To the left of the entrance is the fresco of the Madonna and Child between two bishops from the 9th century, rediscovered in 1991 .
On the back wall there was originally the fresco of the Madonna della Sanità , which was later removed and transferred to the first side chapel on the right (where it is currently still located). The main altar is dedicated to Pope Anterus , whose pontificate lasted less than two months, from November 21, 235 to January 3, 236.
Catacombs of San Gaudioso
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The entrance to the catacombs is through the crypt of Santa Maria della Sanità. The Catacomb of San Gaudioso is the second largest in Naples (after the Catacomb of San Gennaro). It contains both early Christian elements, such as the tomb of St. Gaudiosus and frescoes and mosaics from the 5th and 6th centuries, as well as special graves of nobles from the 17th century.
The room consists of a central ambulacrum 30 m long and 2 to 3 m wide, from which 13 small adjoining rooms, so-called cubiculi, branch off . There is also a cistern 25 m long and 8-10 m wide.
The preserved late antique mosaics and frescoes show typical symbols and scenes of early Christianity, such as portraits of saints and the dead, the vine, the cross, birds, the dove, the fish, the chalice and the lamb .
The so-called fresco of Pascentius from the 5th – 6th centuries is remarkable . Century, in the center of which one sees the apostle Peter introducing the deceased Pascentius to a third person who represents either Christ himself or (more likely) Saint Paul . Two candelabra with burning lights are reminiscent of African representations.
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In the 17th century nobles and clergymen were buried in the catacomb according to a special procedure: the skulls were visibly embedded in the walls of the ambulacrum, underneath the body (or the skeleton) was painted as a fresco, often with robes or badges of the profession or the social position of the respective deceased. Giovanni Balducci painted these frescoes , who did not want payment for them, but wished to be buried in the catacomb like the aristocrats.
The corpses themselves were hung up to dry in niches. This process was called scolatura , and the corresponding niches scolatoi , seditoi , or in the Neapolitan dialect cantarelle - from the Greek kántharos , because of the vase that was placed under the deceased and which was supposed to catch the dripping liquid. Only after this drying process were the deceased buried in their final grave. The people who performed this procedure were called schiattamuorto ; they worked under very problematic hygienic conditions. The entrances to the catacomb in the crypt were usually locked and were only opened for funerals. A well-known Neapolitan expression is derived from the ritual of the scolatura : " Puozze sculà !" (= Italian: " Che tu possa scolare "; literally something like : "You can dry up there").
The famous actor and comedian Totò , who was born and raised in poor conditions in the surrounding Sanità district, wrote a poem in the Neapolitan dialect called 'A Livella' in 1964 , which is said to be inspired by a fresco in the San Gaudioso catacombs.
Catacombe di San Gaudioso (Napoli) 03
former grave of St. Gaudiosus
Scolatoi or Cantarelle
Early Christian mosaic
17th century grave with fresco
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literature
- AA.VV .: Napoli e dintorni , Touring Club Italiano, Milan, 2007. ISBN 978-88-365-3893-5 .
- Carlo Avilio: “Per un primo profilo documentato di Giovan Battista De Pino”, in: Arte Cristiana. Rivista internazionale di Storia dell'Arte e di Arti Liturgiche , XCVI (2008), fasc. 849, pp. 459-464.
- Carlo Avilio: La catacomba di San Gaudioso. Le radici della cristianità disegnano nuove prospettive per il quartiere della Sanità, in undergrounds in Naples. I sottosuoli napoletani , ed. v. Roberta Varriale, Naples, CNR. Istituto di Studi sulle Società del Mediterraneo, 2009, pp. 91-101 (files from a congress in Naples, November 2007), ISBN 978-88-8080-103-0 .
- Loredana Gazzara: Napoli , Mondadori-Electa, Milan, 2007, p. 113.
- Giuseppe Rassello: "Basilica di Santa Maria della Sanità (detta anche Chiesa del Monacone - San Vincenzo alla Sanità)", on "portanapoli.com" , seen on March 30, 2019 (Italian)
See also
- Churches in Naples
- San Lorenzo Maggiore (Naples) , another church with an archaeological zone in Naples
- San Severo fuori le mura , another church with catacombs in the Sanità district, Naples
- Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco , famous church with hypogeum in Naples
Web links
- Disposition of the organ of Santa Maria della Sanità on "Wikibooks"
- "Basilica di Santa Maria della Sanità" on the website "napoligrafia" , (various sub-items: here "L'interno" (the interior)), viewed on March 27, 2019 (Italian; source for this article)
- “Catacombe di San Gaudioso” on the “napoligrafia” website , viewed on March 27, 2019 (Italian; source for this article)
- Information about the San Gaudioso catacombs under Santa Restituta on the website "Catacombe di Napoli" , viewed on March 27, 2019 (Italian; source for this article)
- "Basilica di Santa Maria della Sanità" on "www.historiaregni.it" , viewed on March 30, 2019 (Italian)
- "Basilica di Santa Maria della Sanità" on "cosedinapoli.com" , as seen on March 30, 2019 (Italian)
- Brief information "Santa Maria della Sanità" on "portanapoli.de" , seen on March 30, 2019 (German)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Architecture and history of the “Basilica di Santa Maria della Sanità” on “napoligrafia” , subsection : storia e architettura , seen on March 27, 2019
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r The "Basilica di Santa Maria della Sanità" on the website "Catacombe di Napoli" , seen on March 27, 2019 (Italian)
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab The San Gaudioso catacombs under Santa Maria della Sanità on "Catacombe di Napoli" , seen on 27 March 2019 (Italian)
- ↑ a b c Giuseppe Rassello: "Basilica di Santa Maria della Sanità (detta anche Chiesa del Monacone - San Vincenzo alla Sanità)", on "portanapoli.com" , seen on March 30, 2019 (Italian)
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah Information about the interior of the "Basilica di Santa Maria della Sanità" on the Website "napoligrafia" , sub-item: interno , viewed on March 27, 2019
- ↑ a b “Catacombe di San Gaudioso” on the “napoligrafia” website , viewed on March 27, 2019 (Italian)