San Paolo Maggiore

Basilica of San Paolo Maggiore
Basilica di San Paolo Maggiore (in Italian)
Basilica of San Paolo Maggiore ; Basilica di San Paolo Maggiore (in Italian)
	Minor basilica
Location
Location	Naples, Campania, Italy
Geographic coordinates	40°51′05″N 14°15′25″E / 40.851440°N 14.256830°E
Architecture
Type	Church
Style	Baroque

San Paolo Maggiore is a

Via dei Tribunali

.

History

The

Saracens.^[1]

In 1538, the building was ceded to St Cajetan and his order of

Giovan Giacomo di Conforto, date from 1625 onwards. As the building was proceeding, it was decorated and embellished, notably by Massimo Stanzione who painted the nave ceiling with a series of canvases depicting events in the life of St Paul. On the occasion of the canonization of the Order's founder, St. Cajetan, Dionisio Lazzaro

unsuccessfully connected the façade with the temple's columns with a wall, causing the building to crumble in 1688.

The decoration continued in the 18th century with, among others, Domenico Antonio Vaccaro and Francesco Solimena, who re-used marble elements from the ancient edifice for the new pavement and the pilasters of the nave.

The church was severely damaged by an Allied bombing in 1943, which caused the nearly total destruction of Massimo Stanzione's frescoes.

Interior

The interior is on the Latin cross plan. The nave has remains of Stanzione's frescoes depicting Histories of Sts. Paul and Peter. Other frescoes by Francesco Solimena can be seen in the sacristy. In the nave there is also a statue of the Guardian Angel (1712) by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro. Notable, especially for their marble decorations, are the Chapels of Firrao di Sant'Agata and the Madonna della Purità, both dating from the 17th centuries. The main altar was sculpted in 1775-1776 to a design by Ferdinando Fuga.

Cloister

The cloister was built during the Theatine reconstruction of the late 16th century, occupying the former pagan temple. The vestibule uses columns taken from the former Palaeo-Christian church; the cloister itself has a square plan with, in its center, a well supported by small columns.

The frescoes on the walls, one of which was attributed to Aniello Falcone, have disappeared.

Photo gallery

Detail of a Corinthian column
Detail of the main exterior staircase
The side stairway
The central nave
Interior detail
Architectural details from the Temple of the Dioscuri from Andrea Palladio, Four Books on Architecture, Venice 1570.
The facade of San Paolo Maggiore before and after the collapse of 1688 (from Celano 1692)
Angel statue by Vaccaro
Burial monument of the Italian mathematician Nicola Fergola (1753-1828)