Sant'Orsola a Chiaia (also called Sant'Orsola dei Mercedari Spagnoli, or the Parish church of Santa Maria della Mercede a Chiaia) is a church in largo Sant'Orsola in the quartieri of
Chiaia
Chiaia (, ) is an affluent neighbourhood on the seafront in Naples, Italy, bounded by Piazza Vittoria on the east and Mergellina on the west. Chiaia is one of the wealthiest districts in Naples, and many luxury brands have shops on its main stree ...
in
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.
Originally, this was the site of a small 16th-century chapel endowed by the Spaniard Annibale de Troyanis y Mortella and dedicated to
Saint Ursula
Ursula (Latin for 'little she-bear') was a Romano-British virgin and martyr possibly of royal origin. She is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion. Her feast day in the pre-1970 G ...
. In 1569 it was donated to fathers of the ''Order of Santa Maria della Mercede'', who in 1576 demolished the chapel to build a new convent. The church was reconstructed. In 1875, the cloister that held the tombs of the monks was demolished and the
Teatro Sannazaro was built instead. The convent held
Mercedari priests till 1923.
In the 19th century, the reconstruction added frescoes in the arches of the nave and ceiling, depicting ''Stories of the Virgin'' (1851) and ''Redemption of Captives'' (1852) by G. Gravante. In the transept are two canvases by unknown 16th-century artists.
Bibliography
*Vincenzo Regina, ''Le chiese di Napoli. Viaggio indimenticabile attraverso la storia artistica, architettonica, letteraria, civile e spirituale della Napoli sacra'', Newton e Compton editore, 2004.
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orsola a Chiaia Naples
Roman Catholic churches in Naples
16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1576