Piazza dei Martiri (in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: ''Martyrs' Square'') is a monument-containing square in

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 re ...

, located at the junction of Via Domenico Morelli and Santa Caterina, one block north of the eastern end of the large seaside park known as the

Villa Comunale The Villa Comunale is a park in Naples, southern Italy. It was built in the 1780s by King Ferdinand IV (later known as Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies) on land reclaimed along the coast between the main body of the city and the small port of M ...

. The square was originally dedicated to Santa Maria a Cappella, but took on patriotic significance when Italy was united in 1861.

Monument to the Martyrs

The monument in the center of this square was built around a column already standing during the Bourbon rule, when the square was called the ''Piazza della Pace''. The column was repurposed, and atop now stands a bronze statue depicting the ''Virtue of the Martyrs'', designed by

Emanuele Caggiano Emanuele Caggiano (Benevento, June 12, 1837 – Naples, August 22, 1905) was an Italian sculptor, active in a Realist style. Biography He began his training early, and by the age of 12 years he had completed in Bari a portrait of Count Candido ...

. Four lions stand at the corners of the square base, each represent Neapolitan patriots who died during specific anti-Bourbon revolutions *Lion dying - to fallen defending the short lived

Parthenopean Republic The Parthenopean Republic ( it, Repubblica Partenopea, french: République Parthénopéenne) or Neapolitan Republic (''Repubblica Napoletana'') was a short-lived, semi-autonomous republic located within the Kingdom of Naples and supported by the ...

in 1799. *Lion pierced by a sword- to fallen during

Carbonari The Carbonari () was an informal network of secret revolutionary societies active in Italy from about 1800 to 1831. The Italian Carbonari may have further influenced other revolutionary groups in France, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Uruguay and Ru ...

revolution of 1820. *Lion lying down - to fallen during revolution of 1848, with 1848 statutes under paw. *Lion striding on foot - to fallen during successful

Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...

ni Revolt of 1860. Behind this last lion is a tablet that states: File:Monumento ai caduti.jpg, To fallen in 1799 File:Monumento ai cadutileonpart2.jpg, To fallen in 1820 File:Monumento ai cadutileonepart.jpg, To fallen in 1848 File:Monumento ai caduti5.jpg, To fallen in 1860

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Piazza Dei Martiri (Naples) Martiri Martiri