Santa Maria Donnalbina is a church located on the street of the same name 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. A church at the site existed in the 9th century, but was reconstructed in the 17th century by

Bartolomeo Picchiatti Bartolomeo Picchiatti (Ferrara, 1571 – Naples, 3 April 1643) was an Italian engineer and architect. A short street in the Soccavo area of the city is named after him. Life He moved to Naples in 1593, having been summoned by the architect Do ...

, and the

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 church underwent further reconstructions under Arcangelo Guglielmelli. The interior was heavily encrusted with stucco decorations (1701) by Antonio Guidetti, and the altar is made of polychrome marbles. The counterfacade has an organ from 1699. The ceiling was decorated with canvases 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 ...

, also the author of the paintings depicting the saints, as well as the fresco in the counter-facade. In the second chapel on right are two saints (1736) painted by

Domenico Antonio Vaccaro Domenico Antonio Vaccaro (June 3, 1678 – June 13, 1745) was an Italian painter, sculptor and architect. He created many important sculptural and architectural projects in Naples. His later works are executed in an individualistic Rococo s ...

; in the presbytery and transepts are frescoes and canvases by

Francesco Solimena Francesco Solimena (4 October 1657 – 3 April 1747) was a prolific Italian painter of the Baroque era, one of an established family of painters and draughtsmen. Biography Francesco Solimena was born in Canale di Serino in the province of ...

. The church holds the funereal monument of

Giovanni Paisiello Giovanni Paisiello (or Paesiello; 9 May 1740 – 5 June 1816) was an Italian composer of the Classical era, and was the most popular opera composer of the late 1700s. His operatic style influenced Mozart and Rossini. Life Paisiello was born in T ...

, sculpted in Neoclassic style by

Angelo Viva Angelo Viva (1748 in Naples, Italy - 27 February 1837 in Naples, Italy) was an Italian sculptor. His important works are the statuary '' La fontana del ratto di Europa'', the Statues of the Evangelists in the Chapel Pappacoda, the decorations of ...

in 1816, which originally stood in the small church of the Immacolata del Terz'Ordine di San Francesco, which was torn down during the opening of via Guglielmo Sanfelice during the so-called

Risanamento Risanamento (literally, ''making healthy again'') is a name given to the large scale re-planning of Italian cities following unification. Particular examples are the ''Risanamento'' of Florence and Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ...

of Naples, in which a rationalizing enlargement of streets was attempted. The church, closed since 1972, has been reopened to the public after 2010. Image:Facciata Donnalbina.jpg, Exterior Image:Portale_Donnalbina.jpg, Entrance portal Image:Coro Donnalbina.jpg, Choir

Bibliography

*Vincenzo Regina, ''Le chiese di Napoli. Viaggio indimenticabile attraverso la storia artistica, architettonica, letteraria, civile e spirituale della Napoli sacra'', Newton and Compton editor, Naples 2004.

External links

The church di Santa Maria Donnalbina su Napoligrafia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Donnalbina Naples Roman Catholic churches in Naples Baroque architecture in Naples 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy