San Giovanni Battista delle Monache is a former

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church located in Via Costantinopoli 106 in central

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 ...

, region of Campania, Italy.

History

Cesare Calense (?-1640) painted a ''Deposition'' for the original church around 1590-1600. The present church was built mainly during 1673-1681 using designs by

Francesco Antonio Picchiatti Francesco Antonio Picchiatti (10 January 1619, Ferrara – 28 August 1694, Naples) was an Italian architect of the Baroque period active in Naples. He is also called Picchetto. He was son of Bartolommeo Picchiatti, who also served as an architect ...

. The facade was added in the 18th century, and was designed by Giovan Battista Nauclerio. In the 19th century, the Cloister of San Giovanniello, standing across Via Sapienza, became the home of the

Accademia di Belle Arti This is a list of the tertiary-level schools or academies of fine art in Italy that are recognised by the Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca, the Italian ministry of higher education. Accademie di Belle Arti The offic ...

in Naples. This urban reconstruction was directed by

Enrico Alvino Enrico Alvino (1809–1872) was an Italian architect and urban designer, particularly active in Naples in the mid-19th century. He was born in Milan, and died in Rome. Works Among his important works in Naples are: *façade of the church of San ...

; and involved the demolition the Vasto Bastion, to make way for the Teatro Bellini. The damage from the 1930 earthquake was not restored until 1970, and all the movable interior decoration was moved. The church was closed and under restoration in 2011.

Interior

The lateral chapels contained paintings by

Luca Giordano Luca Giordano (18 October 1634 – 3 January 1705) was an Italian late-Baroque painter and printmaker in etching. Fluent and decorative, he worked successfully in Naples and Rome, Florence, and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain. Ear ...

Francesco di Maria Francesco di Maria (1623–1690) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Naples. He was a pupil of the painter Domenichino. Maria was an early mentor of Francesco Solimena, Giacomo del Pò, and Paolo de Matteis Paolo de ...

Bernardo Cavallino Bernardo Cavallino (1616–1656) was an Italian painter and draughtsman. He is regarded as one of the most original painters active in Naples during the first half of the 17th century.Ann Percy. "Cavallino, Bernardo." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art ...

Giovanni Balducci Giovanni Balducci, called Il Cosci after his maternal uncle, (c. 1560 — after 1630) was an Italian mannerist painter. Biography Born in Florence, Balducci was trained by Giovanni Battista Naldini. Under the guidance and supervision of Vasar ...

, Nicola Fumo, and

Andrea Vaccaro Andrea Vaccaro (baptised on 8 May 1604 – 18 January 1670) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. Vaccaro was in his time one of the most successful painters in Naples, a city then under Spanish rule. Very successful and valued in his l ...

. It also contained paintings by

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 ...

Giacomo Farelli Giacomo Farelli (1629 in Naples – 26 June 1706) was an Italian painter active in Naples. Biography He trained under Andrea Vaccaro, whose style he at first followed, but he afterwards imitated with more success that of Guido Reni and Luca G ...

, and

Paolo De Matteis Paolo de Matteis (also known as ''Paolo de' Matteis''; 9 February 1662 – 26 January 1728) was an Italian painter. Biography He was born in Piano Vetrale, a hamlet of Orria, in the current Province of Salerno, and died in Naples. He trained wit ...

; the sculptural decoration has suffered much damage.

Bibliography

*''Napoli sacra. Guida alle chiese della città'', coordinamento scientifico di Nicola Spinosa; curated by Gemma Cautela, Leonardo Di Mauro, Renato Ruotolo,

, Italy 1993-1997, 15 fascicoli

External links

Napoligrafia
entry on church. {{DEFAULTSORT:Giovanni Battista delle Monache, Naples 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Churches in Naples Baroque architecture in Naples