Santa Maria delle Grazie a Mondragone is a small now-deconsecrated

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 building on Piazzeta Mondragone 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 ...

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 ...

History

In 1653, a church and an adjacent retirement home for noble widows, were commissioned here by Princess Elena

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 ...

(1580-1663), wife of Duke of Mondragone. The buildings were damaged during the earthquake of 1688 and

1732 Events January–March * January 21 – Russia and Persia sign the Treaty of Riascha at Resht. Based on the terms of the agreement, Russia will no longer establish claims over Persian territories. * February 9 – The Swedish ...

, and various reconstructions followed, using plans by

Arcangelo Guglielmelli Arcangelo Guglielmelli (1723) was an Italian architect and painter, active in his native Naples, Italy, in a late-Baroque style. He was involved in the building and reconstruction of churches, many of which had been damaged by the earthquakes of ...

(1648-1723), who received his commission in 1715. Guglielmelli is known for his centralized design of the church of Santa Maria del Rosario alle Pigne near Piazza Cavour in central Naples. The work was completed, including interior decoration by

Giovanni 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 ...

(1666-1739) after Guglielmelli's death. The church is now part of the Fondazione Mondragone, that operates a textile and fashion museum and a school.

Interior

The stucco work was performed by

Giuseppe Scarola Giuseppe is the Italian form of the given name Joseph, from Latin Iōsēphus from Ancient Greek Ἰωσήφ (Iōsḗph), from Hebrew יוסף. It is the most common name in Italy and is unique (97%) to it. The feminine form of the name is Giuse ...

. The silverware for the altars were completed by Felice Cioffi in 1735 - 1738. The pavement in tile and maiolica was designed by Nauclerio. In 1743, the prioress of the Hospice, Anna Sanfelice, commissioned a polychrome marble altar designed by

Ferdinando Sanfelice Ferdinando Sanfelice (1675 – 1 April 1748) was an Italian late Baroque architect and painter. Sanfelice was born in Naples and died there. He was one of the principal architects in Naples in the first half of the 18th century. He was a stude ...

, and completed by

Giuseppe Astarita Giuseppe Astarita (Naples, 1707 – Naples, 1775) was an Italian architect and engineer of the late- Baroque or Rococo period. He was a pupil of Domenico Antonio Vaccaro and collaborated with Ferdinando Sanfelice; his style is influenced by ...

. The altarpiece of the ''Madonna delle Grazie'' was painted by

Giuseppe Marullo Giuseppe Marullo (died 1685, Naples) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active near his natal city of Orta di Atella.Candida'' for the church. The tabernacle and balustrade of the presbytery were completed in 1790 by

Gennaro Sammartino 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, later ...

. The original chapel at the site remains in part as the sacristy, with an altarpiece depicting the ''Triumph of Faith''. Fondazione Mondragone
short description of church.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Grazie a Mondragone Naples Former churches in Naples Baroque architecture in Naples 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy