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The Vasari Sacristy (Italian - ''Sacrestia del Vasari'') or Old Sacristy (Italian - ''Sacrestia Vecchia'') is a room in Sant'Anna dei Lombardi, Naples, Italy, one of its two La Repubblica
/ref> It is accompanied along the walls by 17th century furniture decorated with a cycle of precious wooden inlays by Fra Giovanni da Verona dating to 1506 (the third cycle after those of Santa Maria in Organo in
The Vasari Sacristy (Italian - ''Sacrestia del Vasari'') or Old Sacristy (Italian - ''Sacrestia Vecchia'') is a room in Sant'Anna dei Lombardi, Naples, Italy, one of its two sacristies
A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.
The sacristy is usually located ...
. It was the refectory of the Olivetan
The Olivetans, formally known as the Order of Our Lady of Mount Olivet, are a monastic order. They were founded in 1313 and recognised in 1344. They use the Rule of Saint Benedict and are a member of the Benedictine Confederation, where they ar ...
monastery of Santa Maria di Monteoliveto ''Touring Club Italiano'', 2008, p. 148 until 1688, when it was converted to its current role. The conversion in 1688 revealed 15th century inlays by Fra Giovanni da Verona, also to be seen in the church's Tolosa Chapel. The church was renamed Sant'Anna dei Lombardi in 1805.
An ''Adoration of the Shepherds'' by a follower of Vasari was moved to its present position above the door in the counter-facade during the 17th century. The two side lunettes contain sculptures of the archangel Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions ( Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብ ...
and the Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
, attributed to Giovan Battista Cavagna and resting on two marble lavabo
A lavabo is a device used to provide water for the washing of hands. It consists normally of a ewer or container of some kind to pour water, and a bowl to catch the water as it falls off the hands. In ecclesiastical usage it refers to all of: the b ...
s leaning against the walls.
The central nave vault is divided into three quadrants, showing personifications of Faith, Religion and Eternity/ref> It is accompanied along the walls by 17th century furniture decorated with a cycle of precious wooden inlays by Fra Giovanni da Verona dating to 1506 (the third cycle after those of Santa Maria in Organo in
Verona
Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...
and the Territorial Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore
The Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore is a large Benedictine monastery in the Italian region of Tuscany, 10 km south of Asciano. Its buildings, which are mostly of red brick, are conspicuous against the grey clayey and sandy soil—the '' Cret ...
near Asciano
Asciano () is a ''comune'' and hill town in the province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany. It is located at the centre of the Crete senesi between the river Ombrone and the torrent Copra, some southeast of the town of Siena by rail.
Hist ...
) with views of the city and scenes of life in the Olivetan order. Between the inlays are niches with wooden statues showing saints relating to the Olivetans. Behind the altar is a painting of Carlo Borromeo
Charles Borromeo ( it, Carlo Borromeo; la, Carolus Borromeus; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was the Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584 and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation combat ...
by Girolamo d'Arena, which had hung in the original church of Sant'Anna dei Lombardi (which had also been dedicated to St Carlo Borromeo) but was moved to its present location after that church was destroyed in the 1805 earthquake. Either side are two paintings of Michael the Archangel
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
and the Virgin Mary.
History
It is named afterGiorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work '' The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculp ...
who in 1545 painted its vault frescoes, whilst it was still a refectory. His fame had reached 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 ...
due to his 1542-44 works in Rome and due to his capacity to complete commissions quickly. His time in Campania
(man), it, Campana (woman)
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from 1544 to 1545 was short but busy and brought Tuscan Mannerism (which had previously only reached as far as Rome) to Naples. He received several commissions from viceroy don Pedro da Toledo, from noblemen and from monasteries, the first of which was to decorate the old refectory of the monastery next to Santa Maria di Monteoliveto.
He almost refused it due to the space's Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...
, which he felt might be too dark to show off his style to best effect. He decided to take it, however, and plastered the vaults, brightening the space and giving him extra space to paint. Some of the figures were painted from Vasari's drawings by Raffaellino del Colle
Raffaellino del Colle (1490–1566) was an Italian Mannerist painter active mostly in Umbria. He was born in the frazione of Colle in Borgo Sansepolcro, province of Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy.
Biography
He is also called ''Raffaellino della Colle'' ...
,''Touring Club Italiano'', 2008, p. 150 whilst Stefano Veltroni and others assisted with the purely decorative areas. Whilst painting the frescoes Vasari also produced two triptych
A triptych ( ; from the Greek adjective ''τρίπτυχον'' "''triptukhon''" ("three-fold"), from ''tri'', i.e., "three" and ''ptysso'', i.e., "to fold" or ''ptyx'', i.e., "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided ...
s, one for the room's counter-facade and one for its back wall, showing ''The Manna from Heaven'' and ''The Feast in the House of Simon'', now in the Museo nazionale di Capodimonte and Museo Diocesano di Napoli.
References
Bibliography (in Italian)
* AA.VV., ''Vasari a Napoli'', Paparo Edizioni (2011) * Cesare Cundari, Arnaldo Venditti, ''Il complesso di Monteoliveto'', Gangemi, 1999 * D'Ambrosio P., ''La chiesa di Monteoliveto'' (1952) Buildings and structures in Naples Church frescos in Italy Sacristy Olivetan Order