Santissima Trinità delle Monache

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Exterior view

Exterior view
Construction time: 1607-1620
Architect : Francesco Grimaldi
Style elements : Baroque
Location: 40 ° 50 '44.8 "  N , 14 ° 14' 39"  E Coordinates: 40 ° 50 '44.8 "  N , 14 ° 14' 39"  E
Location: Naples
Campania , Italy
Purpose: Roman Catholic monastery church

The complex of the Santissima Trinità delle Monache (Holy Trinity of the Nuns) is one of the largest monastery complexes in Naples and is located in the historic center of the city along Via Trinità delle Monache. In the lower part of the building is the church of Santissima Trinità delle Monache.

The building was founded by Vittoria de Silvia (17th century) in the Montecalvario district and borders the Certosa di San Martino , Castel Sant'Elmo and the Santa Lucia Vergine al Monte complex. The complex has been used for various religious and civil purposes. Before the unification of Italy, it was used as a military hospital under Joseph Bonaparte .

The complex is a heterogeneous whole with buildings of architectural and historical value. More recent construction work has impaired the facility and changed some of it. The facility has a total area of ​​approx. 25,000 m² (the usable area of ​​9,000 m², a further 16,000 m² spread over green areas and courtyards). Because of the numerous fountains on the monastery grounds, which have been destroyed today, it was also referred to as the “monastery of fountains”.

history

After Donna Vittoria de Silvia received permission to build it from Pope Clement VIII , the building was built as a monastery. The monastery complex was surrounded by extensive gardens, which were very much appreciated by the noble families of the time.

Construction began in 1607 when the Palazzo Sanfelice was converted into a monastery based on a design by the architect Francesco Grimaldi . Five years later, builders Giovanni Giacomo De Marino and Giovanni Laurenzio from Ferrara erected the convent building based on Grimaldi's design . After nine years, Giovan Giacomo Di Conforto took over the construction site and in 1617 most of the monastery buildings were completed, the church built according to a design by Grimaldi in 1620. In 1623 Cosimo Fanzago redesigned the exterior and the stairwell and built the anteroom and the one in the Arched entrance portal and 1629 also the dome .

In 1732 a violent earthquake caused severe damage to the monastery. Due to a lack of money, the restoration work took more than ten years. The building was not reopened until 1743. With the invasion of the Napoleonic army in 1795 and the occupation of the Kingdom of Naples by Joseph Bonaparte, the nuns had to leave the monastery and it was used as a military hospital from 1808 to 1992.

However, due to insufficient maintenance, the vault and dome collapsed in 1897 and were replaced by a modest pitched roof. Between the 19th and 20th centuries, the buildings were changed with new components.

In the 1990s, the Agenzia del Demanio , pointing out the poor condition of the huge complex from the 16th century, entrusted the city of Naples with the planning of its restoration. A preliminary plan was drawn up that provided for the conversion of the complex into a multi-purpose center, which, in addition to university and research facilities, was to include sports, swimming pool, play and studio rooms as well as the necessary infrastructure such as escalators and elevators. But this project was never carried out. Today the complex houses offices of the city administration with the UNESCO program for the upgrading of the historical center as well as a garrison of the fire brigade, the youth center "Urban Palace" and several associations.

Part of the building was bought by the University of Suor Orsola Benincasa and is to be renovated.

In recent years, citizens, associations and the city have made many proposals for the rehabilitation of dilapidated and neglected areas. The Spanish Quarter Park has been reopened to the public. Today it offers a large children's playground and an area for organizing outdoor events. Before the renovation, the park was not used by the population. One of the reasons is the poor accessibility by public transport (Funicolare di Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Cumana di Montesanto and escalators) and the lack of parking spaces.

church

Outside

The exterior is characterized by a simple piperno facade that contrasts with the white marble of the portal. Access is via a curved staircase designed by Cosimo Fanzago, which became the model for a number of other city buildings (some examples were destroyed for the expansion of new streets such as the Church of Santa Teresa a Chiaia ); The recently dismantled balustrade is of excellent workmanship.

A representation of Baratta from 1629 shows the entrance to the complex in the walls of the monastery, protected by the city walls, the gate of which is only a few meters away. A topographical study by the engineer Onofrio Tango from 1646 shows the church with direct access to the street and with an anteroom, which is located along the longitudinal axis and serves as a connection between the church interior and the entrance. From here you can also see the simplicity of the facade, which has no superordinate arrangement.

Inside

The interior in the form of a Greek cross represents a Baroque variation of the central building . There are four angular chapels on both sides of the nave , while the transepts are mirrored.

There are works by Battistello Caracciolo ( The Immaculate with Saints Francis and Anthony ), Spagnoletto , Giovanni Luigi Rodrigo and Fabrizio Santafede , while the frescoes are assigned to Giovanni Bernardino Siciliano. The sculptures and ornaments were made under the direction of Cosimo Fanzago; Below are some doors, the pulpit and the floor. Among the sculptors who worked under Fanzago's direction are the stonemason Andrea Lazzari and Vitale Finelli with Domenico Agliani as marble cutters (the latter for the main chapel near the apse ).

Some of these works were taken to other museums or city buildings. For example, the Holy Family with Saints (1623–1625) of Ribera is now in the Palazzo Reale of Naples .

Cloister

The cloister of considerable size has only one side of the building with 28 arcades, while the other three sides are unobstructed and therefore offer a fantastic view of the city.

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.
  • AA.VV. Napoli: Montecalvario questione aperta , Clean edizioni, Napoli
  • Gaetana Cantone, Napoli barocca , Laterza, 2002, Napoli
  • Maria Rosaria Costa, I Chiostri di Napoli , Tascabili Economici Newton, Roma, 1996. ISBN 88-8183-553-3 .

Web links

Commons : Santissima Trinità delle Monache  - Collection of images, videos and audio files