The Basilica of San Pietro ad Aram is a

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 ...

-style, Roman Catholic church in Naples, Italy. It is located about a block from the church of the Santissima Annunziata on Corso Umberto I. Facciata Post Aram

History

The church is said to host the altar upon which St Peter preached while in Naples, and here he baptized the first Neapolitan converts to Christianity,

Saint Candida Saint Candida the Elder ( it, Candida la Vecchia) (died 78 AD) was a supposed early Christian saint and resident of Naples, Italy. According to her legend, Candida was an elderly woman who hospitably welcomed Saint Peter the Apostle, when he wa ...

and Saint Aspreno. In the 16th century, this church was granted by popes the status of celebrating ceremonial Jubilees for the remission of sins. The layout of the church is that of a Latin-Cross. The present structure, built between 1650 and 1690, owes its design to Pietro De Marino and

Giovanni Mozzetta Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...

. The adjacent cloister was destroyed and fragments can be seen in the sacellum or shrine of Sant'Aspreno in piazza Borsa. The portal derives from the Conservatory ''dell'Arte della Lana'', in vico Miroballo. The vestibule has frescoes attributed to

Girolamo da Salerno Girolamo is an Italian variant of the name Hieronymus. Its English equivalent is Jerome. It may refer to: * Girolamo Cardano (1501–1576), Italian Renaissance mathematician, physician, astrologer and gambler * Girolamo Cassar (c. 1520 – after ...

. It has a

baldacchino A baldachin, or baldaquin (from it, baldacchino), is a canopy of state typically placed over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent architectural feature, particularly over h ...

Giovan Battista Nauclerio Giovanni Battista Nauclerio (Naples, 1666 - Naples, 1739) was an Italian architect and engineer, active in Naples, Italy. Biography Nauclerio is described as one of the Naples architects who went against the grain, paving the way for columned n ...

. The first chapel on the right has a bas-relief depicting the ''Madonna delle Grazie'' by Giovanni da Nola; and an altarpiece of the ''Jubilee'' (1594) by

Wenzel Cobergher Wenceslas Cobergher (1560 – 23 November 1634), sometimes called Wenzel Coebergher, was a Flemish Renaissance architect, engineer, painter, antiquarian, numismatist and economist. Faded somewhat into the background as a painter, he is chiefly ...

. The right transept has a ''St Raphael'' by Giacinto Diano, a ''Baptism of Christ'' 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 altarpiec ...

, and a ''Madonna with St Felice da Cantalice'' by Andrea Vaccaro. The presbytery has two canvases by Luca Giordano: ''St Peter and St Paul hug before Martyrdom'' and a ''Consigning of the Keys to St. Peter''. The wooden choir (1661) was completed by

Giovan Domenico Vinaccia Giovan (Gian) Domenico Vinaccia (13 March 1625, Massa Lubrense - July 1695, Naples) was an Italian architect, goldsmith, engineer and sculptor. Life He learned sculpture and architecture from Dionisio Lazzari. His first surviving independent wo ...

. In the remaining chapels are paintings by

Sarnelli Sarnelli is a surname of Italian origin. Notable people with the surname include: * *Januarius Maria Sarnelli, Jesuit and an early companion of S. Alphonsus Liguori *Vincent Sarnelli (born 1962), French boxer *Vincenzo Maria Sarnelli Vincenzo M ...

, Pacecco De Rosa, Giacinto Diano,

Cesare Fracanzano Cesare Fracanzano (1605-1651), a Neapolitan painter who flourished in the 17th century, was a pupil of Spagnoletto. Born in Bisceglie, in Apulia by Alessandro, a nobleman originally from Verona and a mannerist painter. His pictorial style was ...

, and

Nicola Vaccaro Nicola Vaccaro (Naples, 13 March 1640 – Naples, 25 May 1709) was an Italian painter, theatre director and opera librettist in Naples. He was known for his religious and allegorical paintings who created easel paintings as frescos. He was a spe ...

. A crypt with paleochristian art is located below the church.

Bibliography

* Vincenzo Regina, ''Le chiese by Napoli. Viaggio indimenticabile attraverso la storia artistica, architettonica, letteraria, civile e spirituale della Napoli sacra'', Newton e Compton editore, Napoli 2004. * Antonio Emanuele Piedimonte, ''Napoli Segreta'', Edizioni Intra Moenia, 2006. * Translated from Italian Wikidpedia

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pietro ad Aram Basilica churches in Naples Catacombs Baroque architecture in Naples Roman Catholic churches completed in 1690 1690 establishments in Italy 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy