The Cappella Sansevero (also known as the Cappella Sansevero de' Sangri or Pietatella) is a chapel located on Via Francesco de Sanctis 19, just northwest of the church of

San Domenico Maggiore San Domenico Maggiore is a Gothic, Roman Catholic church and monastery, founded by the friars of the Dominican Order, and located in the square of the same name in the historic center of Naples. History The square is bordered by a street/alle ...

, in the historic center of

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. The chapel is more properly named the Chapel of ''Santa Maria della Pietà''. It contains works of

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

art by some of the leading Italian artists of the 18th century.

History

Its origin dates to 1590 when John Francesco di Sangro, Duke of Torremaggiore, after recovering from a serious illness, had a private chapel built in what were then the gardens of the nearby Sansevero family residence, the

Palazzo Sansevero Palazzo di Sangro, also known as either Palazzo de Sangro di Sansevero or Palazzo Sansevero, is a late-Renaissance-style aristocratic palace facing the church of San Domenico Maggiore, separated by the via named after the church, in the city center ...

. The building was converted into a family burial chapel by Alessandro di Sangro in 1613 (as inscribed on the marble plinth over the entrance to the chapel). Definitive form was given to the chapel by

Raimondo di Sangro Raimondo di Sangro, Prince of Sansevero (30 January 1710 – 22 March 1771) was an Italian nobleman, inventor, soldier, writer, scientist, alchemist and freemason best remembered for his reconstruction of the Sansevero Chapel in Naples. Early l ...

, Prince of Sansevero, who also included

Masonic Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

symbols in its reconstruction. Until 1888 a passageway connected the Sansevero palace with the chapel. The chapel received its alternative name of ''Pietatella'' from a painting of the Virgin Mary (''La Pietà''), spotted there by an unjustly arrested prisoner, as reported in the book ''Napoli Sacra'' by Cesare d'Engenio Caracciolo in 1623. When the chapel was constructed it was originally dedicated to ''Santa Maria della Pietà'', after the painting.

Works of art

The chapel houses almost thirty works of art, among which are three particular sculptures of note. These marble statues are emblematic of the love of decoration in the Rococo period and their depiction of translucent veils and a fisherman's net represent remarkable artistic achievement. The ''

Veiled Truth ''Modesty'' or ''Chastity'' ( it, La Pudicizia) or ''Veiled Truth'' by Antonio Corradini is a sculpture completed in 1752 during the Rococo period. Corradini was commissioned by Raimondo di Sangro to sculpt a memorial for his mother in the Ca ...

'' (''Pudicizia'', also called ''Modesty'' or ''Chastity'') was completed by

Antonio Corradini Antonio Corradini (19 October 1688 – 12 August 1752) was an Italian Rococo sculptor from Venice. He is best known for his illusory veiled depictions of human body, where the contours of the face and bodies beneath the veil are discernible. Bo ...

in 1752 as a tomb monument dedicated to Cecilia Gaetani dell'Aquila d'Aragona, mother of Raimondo. The 1753 '' Christ Veiled under a Shroud'' (also called ''Veiled Christ''), by Giuseppe Sanmartino, shows the influence of the veiled ''Modesty''. The ''Release from Deception'' (''Disinganno'') completed in 1753–54 by

Francesco Queirolo Francesco Queirolo (1704–1762) was an Italian Genoese-born sculptor, active in Rome and Naples during the Rococo period. Biography He trained together with Giuseppe Rusconi in Rome. Here he executed the statues of St. Charles Borromeo and St. ...

of Genoa serves as a monument to Raimondo's father. File:Pudicizia, Cappella Sansevero.jpg,

,
'' Pudicizia'' (1752) File:Cristo Velato Volto.jpg, Giuseppe Sanmartino,
'' Veiled Christ'' (1753) File:Disinganno, Cappella Sansevero.jpg,

,
''Il Disinganno'' (1753–54) File:Immagine d'insieme 2, Cappella Sansevero.jpg, A portion of the chapel's statuary The ceiling, the ''Glory of Paradise'', was painted by Francesco Maria Russo in 1749. The original floor (most of the present one dates from 1901) was in black and white (said to symbolize good/evil) in the design of a labyrinth (a masonic symbol for "initiation"). In the basement there is a painting by the Roman artist Giuseppe Pesce, ''Madonna con Bambino'', dating from around 1750. It was painted using wax-based paints of Raimondo di Sangro's own invention. The prince presented this painting to his friend Charles Bourbon, king of Naples.

List of works

The following is a list of the works of art in the chapel, numbered in the accompanying diagram, along with the artist: # ''Monument to Cecco de' Sangro'', Francesco Celebrano; # ''Monument to Giovan Francesco Paolo de' Sangro'',

; # ''Il decoro'', Antonio Corradini; # ''Monument to Paolo de' Sangro'', Bernardino Landini – Giulio Mencaglia; # ''La liberalità'',

; # ''Monument to Duke Giovan Francesco Paolo de' Sangro'', Giacomo Lazzari; # ''Lo zelo della religione'', Fortunato Onelli; # ''Painting of Raimondo de' Sangro'', Carlo Amalfi; # ''La soavità del giogo maritale'',

Paolo Persico Paolo Persico (1796), was an Italian sculptor of the late-Baroque, active at and near Naples. He is best known for sculptures in the gardens of Palace of Caserta, including the figures of ''Diana and Acteon'' in a fountain. He also contribute ...

; # ''Altar to St. Rosalia'', Francesco Queirolo; # ''

(Pudicizia)'', Antonio Corradini; # ''Monument to Alessandro de' Sangro'', Unknown artist, 18th century; # ''Angel'', Paolo Persico; # ''Altar (La Deposizione)'',

Francesco Celebrano Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name " Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Francesco * Francesco I (disambiguation), sev ...

and ''La Pietà'' (painting by unknown artist, 17th century); # ''Angel'', Paolo Persico; # ''Coretto'' (little

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

); # ''Release from Deception (Il Disinganno)'', Francesco Queirolo; # ''Altar to St. Odorisio'', Francesco Queirolo; # ''La Sincerità'', Francesco Queirolo; # ''Monument to Raimondo de' Sangro'', Francesco Maria Russo; # ''Basement with anatomical models'' and painting by Giuseppe Pesce; # ''Il Dominio di sé stessi'', Francesco Celebrano; # ''Monument to Paolo de' Sangro'',

; # ''L'Educazione'', Francesco Queirolo; # ''Monument to Paolo de' Sangro'', Giorgio Marmorano – Giacomo Lazzari; # ''Divine Love'', unknown artist of the 19th century; # ''Monument to Giovan Francesco de' Sangro'', Francesco Celebrano; # '' Veiled Christ'', Giuseppe Sanmartino.

Anatomical exhibits

The chapel also displays two early examples of what was long thought to be a form of plastination in its basement. These "anatomical machines" (''macchine anatomiche'') were thought to be examples of the process of "human metallization" (''metallizzazione umana'') as implemented by anatomist

Giuseppe Salerno Giuseppe Salerno, more commonly called ''il Zoppo di Gangi'' (Cripple from the town of Gangi) (1588-1630) was an Italian painter active in his native Sicily in a Mannerist style. He may have used the title of ''Zoppo'' because he was a pupil of G ...

ca. 1760 from a commission by

. The exhibit consists of a mature male and a pregnant woman. Their skeletons are encased in the hardened arteries and veins which are colored red and blue respectively. Previously, historians have surmised that the corpses could have been created by injecting the hardening substances directly into the veins of living subjects. However, recent analysis shows no evidence of techniques involving injection. Analysis of the "blood vessels" indicate they are constructed of beeswax, iron wire, and silk.

References

External links

Sansevero Chapel Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sansevero 1590 establishments in Italy Former churches in Naples Anatomical preservation Art museums and galleries in Naples Roman Catholic chapels in Italy