Sant'Agnello Maggiore
This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (October 2012) ) |
Church of Sant'Agnello Maggiore | |
---|---|
Chiesa di Sant'Agnello Maggiore | |
Roman Catholic | |
History | |
Status | Active |
Architecture | |
Architectural type | Church |
Administration | |
Diocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Naples |
Sant'Agnello Maggiore, also called Sant'Aniello a Caponapoli or Santa Maria Intercede, is a church in the historical center of Naples, Italy.
According to tradition,
The church was bombed in 1943 and left as a ruin until recent renovations have allowed its reopening to the public.
History
Excavations starting in 1979 showed that the church was built above the ancient Greek (4th c. BC) double curtain city walls, now visible in the transept of the church, with interconnected braces and continuing outside in Largo Sant'Aniello. 3rd century BC reinforcements to the walls are in the nave.
The history of this church is linked to
From 1510 to 1600, the church rebuilt and enlarged by the archbishop Giovanni Maria Poderico. The transept, previously the church of Santa Maria Intercede was reconstructed as part of this church in 1517 and work inside continued on till the 18th century. The main altar by Girolamo Santacroce, had additions by Giovanni Battista Pandullo. Vincenzo Martino redid the pavement.
On August 7, 1809, the monastic order in charge of the church was suppressed, and on January 12, 1809, the monastery was sold by the Minister of Finance to a private citizen Cosimo d'Orazio. However, by 1856, the Ministry of the Interior was in charge of the maintenance, and in 1903 had planned demolition of both the church and monastery, but the plan was never implemented. By 1913, the parish was transferred to the nearby church of
The church still retains medieval traces in bas reliefs. The paintings moved here are of uncertain attribution. Only the main altar sculpted by Girolamo Santacroce is original.
Bibliography
- Luigi Catalani, La chiese di Napoli, Tipografia Fu Migliaccio, 1845, pages 167-172.
- Vincenzo Regina, Le chiese di Napoli. Viaggio indimenticabile attraverso la storia artistica, architettonica, letteraria, civile e spirituale della Napoli sacra, Newton e Compton editor, Naples 2004.
- AA.VV., Segno metodo progetto. Itinerari of the image urbana tra memoria e intervento, Elio de Rosa editore, Naples, Italy 1990.