Sant'Agnello Maggiore, also called Sant'Aniello a Caponapoli or Santa Maria Intercede, is a church in the historical center of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, Italy. According to tradition, Agnello of Naples, now co-patron (''compatrono'') of the city of Naples, is buried in this church. Other traditions hold he is buried in the Cathedral of Lucca. The church was bombed in 1943 and left as a ruin until recent renovations have allowed its reopening to the public.

History

Excavations starting in 1979 showed that the church was built above the ancient Greek (4th c. BC) double curtain city walls, now visible in the

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

of the church, with interconnected braces and continuing outside in Largo Sant'Aniello. 3rd century BC reinforcements to the walls are in the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

. The history of this church is linked to

sant'Agnello Sant'Agnello is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 25 km southeast of Naples. Sant'Agnello borders the following municipalities: Piano di Sorrento, Sorrento. It is serv ...

. Agnello was a 6th-century Neapolitan bishop, who defended the city against the besieging Lombards. Supposedly the church had been founded and devoted to the Virgin, by Agnello's parents. When Sant'Agnello died, the church's name was changed to ''Santa Maria dei Sette Cieli'' (of the Seven Heavens). In the 9th century, Bishop

Athanasius of Naples Athanasius (died 898) was the Bishop (as Athanasius II) and Duke of Naples from 878 to his death. He was the son of Gregory III and brother of Sergius II, whom he blinded and deposed in order to seize the throne while he was already bishop. In ...

built a new religious building and dedicated to the abbot Saint Agnello and placed his relics in the church. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, the cult of Sant'Agnello became increasingly important and the end of the 13th century till 1517, the church was under the direction of a rector, which from there on was a priest of the order of Canons Regular of the Lateran Congregation of the Most Holy Savior . From 1510 to 1600, the church rebuilt and enlarged by the archbishop Giovanni Maria Poderico. The transept, previously the church of ''Santa Maria Intercede'' was reconstructed as part of this church in 1517 and work inside continued on till the 18th century. The main altar by

Girolamo Santacroce Girolamo Santacroce (c. 1502 – c. 1537) was a 16th-century Italian sculptor and medalist of the Renaissance period, active mainly in Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest ci ...

, had additions by Giovanni Battista Pandullo. Vincenzo Martino redid the pavement. On August 7, 1809, the monastic order in charge of the church was suppressed, and on January 12, 1809, the monastery was sold by the Minister of Finance to a private citizen Cosimo d'Orazio. However, by 1856, the Ministry of the Interior was in charge of the maintenance, and in 1903 had planned demolition of both the church and monastery, but the plan was never implemented. By 1913, the parish was transferred to the nearby church of

Santa Maria di Costantinopoli The Church of Santa Maria di Costantinopoli is a 16th-century Roman Catholic church located on the street of the same name in Naples, Italy, and located a block north of the Academy of Fine Arts of Naples. History Its name is allied to the cult ...

due to the precarious state of the structure. The

second world war World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

added damage. In 1962, during reconstruction the remains of the ancient acropolis were found. Vandalism, earthquakes, and decay have contributed to its poor state of conservation. In 2011, after a long restoration, the church has reopened. The church still retains medieval traces in bas reliefs. The paintings moved here are of uncertain attribution. Only the main altar sculpted by

is original.

Bibliography

* Luigi Catalani
''La chiese di Napoli''
Tipografia Fu Migliaccio, 1845, pages 167-172. * Vincenzo Regina, ''Le chiese di Napoli. Viaggio indimenticabile attraverso la storia artistica, architettonica, letteraria, civile e spirituale della Napoli sacra'', Newton e Compton editor, Naples 2004. *AA.VV., ''Segno metodo progetto. Itinerari of the image urbana tra memoria e intervento'', Elio de Rosa editore,

, Italy 1990.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aniello a Caponapoli naples Roman Catholic churches in Naples Archaeological sites in Naples 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Renaissance architecture in Naples Vandalized works of art in Italy