San Gregorio Armeno ("St. Gregory the

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

") is a church and a monastery 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 ...

. It is one of the most important

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 ...

complexes in Naples. The church is located on a street of the same name just south of Via dei Tribunali and a few blocks south of the church of San Paolo Maggiore, Naples Chiesa di San Gregorio Armeno - Interno navata

Chiesa di San Gregorio Armeno - Interno navata

History

In the 8th century, the

iconoclast Iconoclasm (from Greek: grc, εἰκών, lit=figure, icon, translit=eikṓn, label=none + grc, κλάω, lit=to break, translit=kláō, label=none)From grc, εἰκών + κλάω, lit=image-breaking. ''Iconoclasm'' may also be conside ...

decrees in Greece caused a number of religious orders to flee the Byzantine empire and seek refuge elsewhere. San Gregorio Armeno in Naples was built in the 16th century over the remains of a Roman temple dedicated to

Ceres Ceres most commonly refers to: * Ceres (dwarf planet), the largest asteroid * Ceres (mythology), the Roman goddess of agriculture Ceres may also refer to: Places Brazil * Ceres, Goiás, Brazil * Ceres Microregion, in north-central Goiás ...

, by a group of nuns escaping from the Byzantine Empire with the relics of St. Gregory, bishop of Armenia. During the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

domination the monastery was united to that of the Salvatore and San Pantaleone, assuming the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

rule. The construction of the church was begun in 1574, using designs by Giovanni Battista Cavagni, and consecrated five years later. A later consecration dates to 1674, and refurbishment to 1762.Le chiese di Napoli
Volume 1, by Luigi Catalani, Naples (1845): page 99. The façade has three arcades surmounted by four pilaster strips in

Tuscan order The Tuscan order (Latin ''Ordo Tuscanicus'' or ''Ordo Tuscanus'', with the meaning of Etruscan order) is one of the two classical orders developed by the Romans, the other being the composite order. It is influenced by the Doric order, but with u ...

. The interior has a single nave with five side arcades: the decoration, with the exception of the five chapels, was finished 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 ...

(also author of the ''Saints'' over the windows of the dome) in 1679. Bernardino Lama, likely the son of

Giovanni Bernardo Lama Giovanni Bernardo Lama (1508–1579) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, active mainly in Naples. He was the son of a generally unknown artist, Matteo Lama. He was the apprentice of Giovanni Antonio D’Amato, then Polidoro da Car ...

, was author of the altarpiece. The interior houses also the famous Holy Staircase, used by the nuns during their penitences. The cupola was painted with a ''Glory of San Gregorio'' by Luca Giordano. The ceiling ''cassettoni'' or framed canvases depict the ''Life of the St Gregorio Armeno'' and were commissioned by the abbess Beatrice

Carafa Carafa is a surname held by: * Tony Carafa, Australian rules footballer * Members of the house of Carafa See also *Carafa Chapel *Caraffa (disambiguation) Caraffa may refer to: * Caraffa del Bianco, municipality in the Province of Reggio Calabri ...

from the Flemish

Teodoro d'Errico Dirck Hendricksz (Amsterdam, 1544 – Amsterdam, 1618) was a Dutch-Italian painter. In Italy he was known as Teodoro d'Errico or Dirk Hendrici. He was engaged in painting mainly altarpieces and for churches in Naples from 1574 to 1606. Although bor ...

. On the right, the altarpieces include an ''Annunciation of Mary'' by

Pacecco De Rosa Pacecco De Rosa (byname of Giovanni Francesco De Rosa; 17 December 1607 - 1656) was an Italian painter, active in Naples. Biography He was a contemporary of Massimo Stanzione or, according to others, a pupil of him. De Rosa was influenced by his ...

, a ''Virgin of the Rosary'' by

Nicola Malinconico Nicola Malinconico (16631721) was a Neapolitan painter of the late-Baroque. He is described as a follower of Luca Giordano, and painted mostly religious canvases. He painted the chapel altarpieces for the church of St Michele Arcangelo in Anacapri ...

, and frescoes by

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 ...

. On the left, is a ''St. Benedict'' altarpiece by

Spagnoletto 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 ...

. The main altar was designed by

Dionisio Lazzari Dionisio Lazzari (17 October 1617 – 9 August 1689) was an Italian sculptor and architect. He was born in Naples in 1617, the son of Jacopo Lazzari and Caterina Papini. Jacopo was born in Florence, and his and Dionisio's work shows Tuscan i ...

, and has an altarpiece depicting the ''Resurrection'' by

. The Idria Chapel houses eighteen paintings by

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 ...

, portraying the ''Life of Mary''. Over the chapel's high altar is a medieval icon, in Byzantine style, of the ''Madonna dell'Idria''. The main attraction is the

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

(1580). In the centre is a marble fountain, decorated with dolphins and other marine creatures, with the statues of "Christ and the Samaritan Woman", by

Matteo Bottiglieri Matteo Bottiglieri (1684–1757) was an Italian sculptor and painter from Naples. One of his first works is a marble "Dead Christ" (1724), in the crypt of the Capua Cathedral, perhaps executed after drawings by Francesco Solimena. In 1733 he exe ...

Bibliography

References

External links

{{Authority control Roman Catholic churches completed in 1579 Religious buildings and structures completed in 1687 Gregorio Armeno 1579 establishments in Italy Religious organizations established in the 1570s Christian monasteries established in the 16th century Baroque architecture in Naples 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy 1687 establishments in Italy