The Royal Chapel of the Treasure of St. Januarius, or the ''Reale cappella del Tesoro di San Gennaro'', is a chapel located in the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

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, and dedicated to St. Januarius, patron saint of the city. This is the most lavishly decorated chapel in the cathedral, and contains contributions by the premier

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

artists in Naples.

History

In the years 1526 to 1527, Naples endured a siege by the French, a resurgence of the plague, and a volcanic eruption by

Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ; it, Vesuvio ; nap, 'O Vesuvio , also or ; la, Vesuvius , also , or ) is a somma-stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples The Gulf of Naples (), also called the Bay of Naples, is a roughly 15-kilometer-wide (9 ...

with its accompanying earthquakes. The surviving Neapolitans pledged to erect a chapel to their patron saint, St. Januarius. In 1527, the population of the ''elected city'' in a notarized document pledged a thousand

ducats The ducat () coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wi ...

for the tabernacle, and 10,000 ducats to build the new chapel. On February 5, 1601, the "elect of the city" appointed a committee of twelve lay members, called on the "Deputation" to build of the new chapel. Work began in 1608, ended in 1646. The cost exceeded 480,000

scudi The ''scudo'' (pl. ''scudi'') was the name for a number of coins used in various states in the Italian peninsula until the 19th century. The name, like that of the French écu and the Spanish and Portuguese escudo, was derived from the Latin ''scu ...

. Work was temporarily delayed because the cardinal Archbishop Francesco Boncompagni strongly opposed the exemption of the Deputation from the jurisdiction of the diocesan order, even though the church did not fund its construction; however in 1605, the Deputation, in fact, won the papal bull by

Pope Paul V Pope Paul V ( la, Paulus V; it, Paolo V) (17 September 1550 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death in January 1621. In 1611, he honored ...

to begin on the construction of the sacred place. Centuries later, after the Naples joined the Kingdom of Italy, the chapel was exempted from lists of those religious structures confiscated by the state. Thanks to various papal bulls, the real Treasury Chapel of

San Gennaro Januarius ( ; la, Ianuarius; Neapolitan and it, Gennaro), also known as , was Bishop of Benevento and is a martyr and saint of the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. While no contemporary sources on his life are preserved, lat ...

does not belong to the diocesan curia, but to the city of Naples, and represented by an ancient institution, which still exists today, the "Deputation", elected from diverse zones of Naples. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the chapel was also used for musical activities, with the presence of masters such as Cimarosa,

Paisiello Giovanni Paisiello (or Paesiello; 9 May 1740 – 5 June 1816) was an Italian composer of the Classical era, and was the most popular opera composer of the late 1700s. His operatic style influenced Mozart and Rossini. Life Paisiello was born in T ...

, Francesco Provenzale

Francesco Durante Francesco Durante (31 March 1684 – 30 September 1755) was a Neapolitan composer. Biography He was born at Frattamaggiore, in the Kingdom of Naples, and at an early age he entered the '' Conservatorio dei poveri di Gesù Cristo'', in Naples, ...

, Scarlatti and Charles Broschi.

Painted Decoration

The selection and deployment of the pictorial decoration was a saga that involved many of the premier painters of early 17th century Rome and Naples. The Deputation in charge of construction and decoration of the chapel, initially entrusted the pictorial decoration of the chapel to

Giuseppe Cesari Giuseppe Cesari (14 February 1568 – 3 July 1640) was an Italian Mannerist painter, also named Il Giuseppino and called ''Cavaliere d'Arpino'', because he was created ''Cavaliere di Cristo'' by his patron Pope Clement VIII. He was much patronize ...

, also called ''Cavalier d'Arpino''. The painter was popular in Rome under Pope

Clement VIII Pope Clement VIII ( la, Clemens VIII; it, Clemente VIII; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1592 to his death in March 1605. Born ...

Aldobrandini The House of Aldobrandini is an Italian noble family originally from Florence, where in the Middle Ages they held the most important municipal offices. Now the Aldobrandini are resident in Rome, with close ties to the Vatican. History Their ...

and remained so under Pope

Paul V Pope Paul V ( la, Paulus V; it, Paolo V) (17 September 1550 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death in January 1621. In 1611, he honored ...

Borghese The House of Borghese is a princely family of Italian noble and papal background, originating as the Borghese or Borghesi in Siena, where they came to prominence in the 13th century and held offices under the ''commune''. During the 16th century, ...

. A request was forwarded in 1616, and a contract was signed on March 7, 1618 But Cesari was slow to move to Naples, and the Deputation in 1620, revoked his contract and instead offered the position to

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious ...

. Reni, after much haggling about payments, refused the assignment, and finally the commission was offered to painter

Fabrizio Santafede Fabrizio Santafede or Fabrizio Santaféde (c. 1560–1623/28) was an Italian painter known for his altarpieces. He painted in a style that rejected the Mannerism popular in the Naples of his time and evident in the works of Francesco Curia. Lif ...

, who collaborated with

Battistello Caracciolo Giovanni Battista Caracciolo (also called Battistello) (1578–1635) was an Italian artist and important Neapolitan follower of Caravaggio. He was a member of the murderous Cabal of Naples, with Belisario Corenzio and Giambattista Caracciolo, w ...

and the Bolognese pupil of Reni,

Francesco Gessi Francesco Gessi (20 January 1588 – 1649) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Bologna. Biography Born to a noble family, his father noticed his attraction to the arts and placed him in the apprenticeship with Den ...

, to propose a design. The Deputation, however, was not satisfied with the plan. Soon after, Santafede died, and the team of Caracciolo and Gessi were fired. On December 2, 1628, they sent out requests for a new proposals, this time also including local Neapolitan painters. None of the submissions were satisfactory. In 1630, the deputation commissioned a sample painting from the painter

Domenico Zampieri Domenico Zampieri (, ; October 21, 1581 – April 6, 1641), known by the diminutive Domenichino (, ) after his shortness, was an Italian Baroque painter of the Bolognese School of painters. Life Domenichino was born in Bologna, son of a shoema ...

(Domenichino), who like Reni, had been a pupil of

Carracci The Carracci were a family of Italian artists. Notable members include: * Agostino Carracci (1557–1602), Italian painter and printmaker * Annibale Carracci (1560–1609), Italian Baroque painter and brother of Agostino Carracci * Ludovico Carra ...

in Rome. They asked him to submit a painting depicting the ''Martyrdom of San Gennaro'' (now in the museo del tesoro di San Gennaro). Pleased with the submission, he was hired in 1631. San Gennaro's chapel - Dome (Naples)

Domenichino completed the majority of the frescoes in the chapel. He painted the four pinnacles: ''Pledge made by the Neapolitans in 1527'',''Meeting of Saint Gennaro with Christ in the Heavenly Glory'','' Virgin intercedes for Naples'' and ''Patronage of Saints Gennaro, Agrippina and Agnello Abate''. He also painted the ''story of the life of San Gennaro'' in the three lunettes (1633) and in the arches. The four large altarpieces painted with oil on copper by

Domenichino Domenico Zampieri (, ; October 21, 1581 – April 6, 1641), known by the diminutive Domenichino (, ) after his shortness, was an Italian Baroque painter of the Bolognese School of painters. Life Domenichino was born in Bologna, son of a shoem ...

represent: the ''Beheading of Saint Januarius'', the ''Miracle of the infirm healed by the oil lamp'', the ''Infirm at the tomb of the Saint'' and ''Resurrection of a dead man''. Domenichino died suddenly on April 6, 1641. A few months later, he was replaced by another follower of Carracci who was then in Rome, the Emilian,

Giovanni Lanfranco Giovanni Lanfranco (26 January 1582 – 30 November 1647) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. Biography Giovanni Gaspare Lanfranco was born in Parma, the third son of Stefano and Cornelia Lanfranchi, and was placed as a page in the ho ...

. However, the Deputation on June 6, 1646, decided to ask the local painter

Massimo Stanzione Massimo Stanzione (also called Stanzioni; 1585 – 1656) was an Italian Baroque painter, mainly active in Naples, where he and his rival Jusepe de Ribera dominated the painting scene for several decades. He was primarily a painter of altarpiece ...

, to complete the altarapiece of ''Miracle of the Obsessed'', left incomplete by Domenichino. Ultimately, Stanzione's submission was not acceptable, and they entrusted the work to

Jusepe de Ribera Jusepe de Ribera (1591 – 1652) was a painter and printmaker, who along with Francisco de Zurbarán, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and the singular Diego Velázquez, are regarded as the major artists of Spanish Baroque painting. Referring to ...

, who painted '' San Gennaro emerges unscathed from the furnace of Cimitile''.

Architectural and Sculptural Contributions

The design of the chapel was entrusted to the Theatine priest and architect Francesco Grimaldi, who had been active in designing other churches including the church of

Santa Maria della Sapienza Santa Maria della Sapienza is a Roman Catholic church, located on Via Costantinopoli in central Naples, Italy. Facade History In 1507, the cardinal Oliviero Carafa, archbishop of Naples, began plans for construction at the site a University ''del ...

, the Basilica of

San Paolo Maggiore San Paolo Maggiore is a basilica church in Naples, southern Italy, and the burial place of Gaetano Thiene, known as Saint Cajetan, founder of the Order of Clerics Regular (or Theatines). It is located on Piazza Gaetano, about 1-2 blocks north of ...

, and the church of Sant'Andrea delle Dame.To complete the chapel of San Gennaro, several buildings were demolished, including some houses, some chapels, and the small church of Sant'Andrea. The chapel has a Greek cross plan with a dome. In the interior,

Francesco Solimena Francesco Solimena (4 October 1657 – 3 April 1747) was a prolific Italian painter of the Baroque era, one of an established family of painters and draughtsmen. Biography Francesco Solimena was born in Canale di Serino in the province of ...

created the porphyry altar (1667) that frames the silver front (1692–1695) by Giovan Domenico Vinaccia. Behind the altar, two niches with silver doors donated by

Charles II of Spain Charles II of Spain (''Spanish: Carlos II,'' 6 November 1661 – 1 November 1700), known as the Bewitched (''Spanish: El Hechizado''), was the last Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Empire. Best remembered for his physical disabilities and the War o ...

in 1667 guard the vials of the blood of

. The ''reliquary bust of Saint Gennaro'' in gold and silver was made by three goldsmiths Provençal, and donated by Charles II in 1305. The largest bronze sculptures, including a St Peter and Paul flanking the entrance, were made by

Giuliano Finelli Giuliano Finelli (1601–1653) was an Italian Baroque sculptor who emerged from the workshop of Bernini. He was born in Carrara to a family of marble masons in a town associated with mining of the stone, and he initially trained with Michelange ...

, a student of

Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, , ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 159828 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor of his ...

. The chapel's marble decoration began in 1610 under plans of Grimaldi, and completed under the direction of Christopher Monterosso. The brass gates of the chapel were designed by

Cosimo Fanzago Cosimo Fanzago (Clusone, 12 October 1591 – Napoli, 13 February 1678) was an Italian architect and sculptor, generally considered the greatest such artist of the Baroque period in Naples, Italy. Facade Santa Maria della Sapienza. Biography Fanz ...

in 1630Franco Strazzullo,''Architects and Engineers Neapolitans from '500 to '700, '' Napoli 1969 p. 91 replacing the one built by Giovanni Giacomo Conforto in 1628. There are also fifty-four reliquary busts, all in all silver. The frescoes are by

Lanfranco Lanfranco (active in Modena from c. 1099 to 1110) was an Italian architect. His only known work is the Modena Cathedral. Record of his work there is in the early 13th-century manuscript ''Relatio de innovatione ecclesie sancti Gemeniani'' in the ...

and Ribera.

Notes

References

*( Giovanni Pietro Bellori) * C. War in M. Gualandi,'' Paintings of the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro in the Cathedral of Naples'', in "Memoirs of original Fine Arts" series V, no. 178, 1844 *

Giuseppe Maria Galanti Giuseppe Maria Galanti (1743–1806) was an Italian historian and economist, in the Kingdom of Naples. Life Galanti was born in Santa Croce del Sannio, Molise. He was a follower of Pietro Giannone and studied under Antonio Genovesi. While young ...

,'' New historical and geographical description of the Two Sicilies in Two Volumes'', Naples 1788 Volume II Literary Cabinet *

Pietro Giannone Pietro Giannone (7 May 1676 – 17 March 1748) was an Italian philosopher, historian and jurist born in Ischitella, in the province of Foggia. He opposed the papal influence in Naples, for which he was excommunicated and imprisoned for twelve ...

, ''Historia Civile'' of the kingdom of Naples, Milan, Borroni and Scotti 1846 *

, * Annibale di Niscia, * Gino Doria,'' History of a capital Naples from its origins to 1860'', Naples 1952 * Franco Strazzullo'' The Real Treasure Chapel of St. Gennaro: unpublished documents'', Naples, Neapolitan Publishing Company, 1978 * Franco Strazzullo,'' The Chapel of San Gennaro'', Institute Graph Editorial Italian, Naples 1994 * Denise Pagano,'' In Paradise: Lanfranco's frescoes in the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro'' Electa, Naples 1996 * Franco Strazzullo,'' Naples, San Gennaro,'' Pasquale Corsicato Foundation, Naples 1997 * H. Röttgen, The Cavalier Giuseppe Cesari d'Arpino. A great painter in the splendor of fame and fortune nell'incostanza, Bozzi, Rome 2002 * Paul Jorio Franco-Recanatesi,'' The Ten Wonders of the Treasure of San Gennaro'', Rome State Printing Office, 2010

History

Painted Decoration

Architectural and Sculptural Contributions

Notes

References

See also