Santa Maria ad Ogni Bene dei Sette Dolori, also known as Santa Maria de Sette Dolori, is a

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 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. It stands on a hill, providing an excellent view of Spaccanapoli, a

Decumanus In Roman urban planning, a decumanus was an east–west-oriented road in a Roman city or castrum (military camp). The main decumanus of a particular city was the Decumanus Maximus, or most often simply "the Decumanus". In the rectangular street gr ...

of Naples which ends across via Francesco Girardi. From the door of the church, one has a direct view across Naples through the straight decumanus. The church also faces the former convent of Santissima Trinità delle Monache.

History

In 1411, a shrine with a statue of the Virgin was converted by the locals into a chapel called ''Santa Maria d'Ognibene'' (Holy Mary of all gifts). After the plague of 1516, the chapel and statue became a convent and church run by the

Servite Order The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary ( la, Ordo Servorum Beatae Mariae Virginis; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original Catholic mendicant orders. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothe ...

. In 1597, the cardinal

Alfonso Carafa Alfonso Carafa (16 July 1540 – 29 August 1565) was a member of one of the oldest noble families of Naples and a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. His father was Antonio, Marquis of Montebello, whose uncle, Gian Pietro Carafa, ascended ...

made this into a parish church, which was then briefly attached to the Congregation of Pii Operari, which had been started by

Carlo Carafa Carlo Carafa (29 March 1517 – 6 March 1561) was an Italian cardinal, and Cardinal Nephew of Pope Paul IV Carafa, whose policies he directed and whom he served as papal legate in Paris, Venice and Brussels. Early years He was born at Naples in ...

. It was retransferred to the Servites, and remained so till 1809, till the monks were expelled. When they left, they took with them the statue of the Addolorata. The church and the Servite order were attached to a form of

Marian Marian may refer to: People * Mari people, a Finno-Ugric ethnic group in Russia * Marian (given name), a list of people with the given name * Marian (surname), a list of people so named Places * Marian, Iran (disambiguation) * Marian, Queenslan ...

devotion Devotion or Devotions may refer to: Religion * Faith, confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept * Anglican devotions, private prayers and practices used by Anglican Christians * Buddhist devotion, commitment to religious observance * Cat ...

centered around the ''sette dolori'', which roughly translates to the seven sorrows, of the ''Maria Addolorata'' (

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows ( la, Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows ( la, Mater Dolorosa, link=no), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names ...

). These sorrows are roughly identified from scriptural interpretations. When the cholera struck Naples in 1836, the parish retrieved the statue and in 1837 placed it on the main altar. The church in 1849 was named a minor basilica by Pope

Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

. The church we see now was mainly built starting 1640, by designs of Giovanni Cola Cocco. Other sources attribute the work to

Nicola Tagliacozzi Canale Nicola Tagliacozzi Canale (Naples, 1691 – Naples, 1764) was an Italian architect, engineer, engraver, and scenic designer of the Rococo period in Naples, Italy. He was influenced by his contemporaries Domenico Antonio Vaccaro and Ferdinando Sanfel ...

. A number of artworks are associated with the church. The first chapel on right had a ''Christ heals the lame San Pellegrino Laziosi'' 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 ...

, with two lateral paintings by Carlo, the son of

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 ...

. In the fourth chapel is a canvas depicting ''St Sebastian'' by

Mattia Preti Mattia Preti (24 February 1613 – 3 January 1699) was an Italian Baroque artist who worked in Italy and Malta. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Saint John. Life Born in the small town of Taverna in Calabria, Preti was called ''Il Cava ...

, and a ''St Jerome'' by followers of Ribera. In the first chapel to the left was a ''Baptism'' attributed to

Silvestro Buono Silvestro de Buoni (died 1484) was an Italian painter of the early-Renaissance period, specifically the Quattrocento in Naples. Also called ''Silvestro de Buono'', son of Buono de' Buoni. He was the pupil of the painter Lo Zingaro and Donzelli. He ...

and in the 5th chapel, the ''Francesco di Paola'' has been attributed to

Marco Cardisco Marco Cardisco, also known as Marco Calabrese, (Born in Tiriolo c.1486 – c.1542) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, active mainly in Naples during 1508–1542. Biography He was a pupil of the painter and decorator Polidoro da Ca ...

. The famous sculptor and architect

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 ...

is buried in this church. The repertoire of paintings in the church now differs in many regards from the catalogue of Galante.Storiacity entry on church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria ad Ogni Bene Naples Roman Catholic churches in Naples Baroque architecture in Naples 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy