Santa Maria Egiziaca a Forcella, also known as the Church of Santa Maria Egiziaca all'Olmo, is a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

-style,

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church located in the quartiere di Forcella, in the city 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.

History

The church was founded in 1342 under the patronage of Queen

Sancha of Aragon Sancha of Aragon (1478 in Gaeta – 1506 in Naples), or Sancia of Aragon, was an illegitimate daughter of King Alfonso II of Naples and his mistress Trogia Gazzella. In 1494, she was married to Gioffre Borgia, youngest son of Pope Alexander VI. ...

. The queen and her husband were very devout; and Sancha herself entered a monastery of the

Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare (Latin language, Latin: ''Ordo Sanctae Clarae''), originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and also known as the Clarisses or Clarissines, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Or ...

after her husband's death. The church and attached buildings served as a Madgalen asylum, meant to shelter ''donne di mondo convertite'' (prostitutes). The titular saint,

Mary of Egypt Mary of Egypt (; ; ; Amharic/Geʽez, Geez: ቅድስት ማርያም ግብፃዊት) was an Egyptians, Egyptian Grazers (Christianity), grazer saint dwelling in Palestine (region), Palestine during late antiquity or the Early Middle Ages. She is ...

, had history of repenting a life of lust and prostitution, and converting herself into a saintly hermit. The function of the convent as a ''home for fallen women'' was later pursued mostly by

Santa Maria Maddalena The Santa Maria Maddalena is a Roman Catholic, Catholic church in Rome, Italy dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene. It is the conventual church of the adjacent General Curia of the Clerks Regular, Ministers to the Sick (Camillians), the world headqu ...

, and this church became attached to a small nunnery for aristocratic women. The church underwent reconstructions in 1500 by Gabriele d'Agnolo, and in 1684 by

Dionisio Lazzari Dionisio Lazzari (17 October 1617 – 9 August 1689) was an Italian sculptor and architect. He was born in Naples in 1617, the son of Jacopo Lazzari and Caterina Papini. Jacopo was born in Florence, and his and Dionisio's work shows Tuscan i ...

. The latter reconstruction gave the church its present Baroque appearance. The original facade faced the piazza dell'Olmo, and it is also sometimes named with the suffix ''all'Olmo''.

Interior

The interior is decorated with polychrome marble by Nicola Tagliacozzi Canale. The presbytery displays paintings by

Paolo de Maio Paolo de Maio or Paolo de Majo (15 January 1703 – 20 April 1784) was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque or Rococo period. Biography Paolo de Maio was born in Marcianise, province of Caserta, in the region of Campania. His brother Ludov ...

. The elaborate main altar (1713) was completed by Gennaro Ragozzino, and hosts an altarpiece depicting ''First communion of Santa Maria Egiziaca'' (1696) by

Andrea Vaccaro Andrea Vaccaro (baptised on 8 May 1604 – 18 January 1670) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. Vaccaro was in his time one of the most successful painters in Naples, a city then under Spanish rule. Very successful and valued in his li ...

. Flanking the altar are paintings depicting ''The Conversion'' and ''Flight from Egypt'', by

Luca Giordano Luca Giordano (18 October 1634 – 3 January 1705) was an Italian late-Baroque painter and printmaker in etching. Fluent and decorative, he worked successfully in Naples, Rome, Florence, and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain. Early l ...

. The second chapel on the right has an altarpiece depicting ''Virgin of the Rosary and Saints'' by

Fabrizio Santafede Fabrizio Santafede or Fabrizio Santaféde (c. 1560–1623/28) was an Italian painter known for his altarpieces. He painted in a style that rejected the Mannerism popular in the Naples of his time and evident in the works of Francesco Curia. Life ...

. The third chapel of the right has two canvases:''Madonna and Saints Angelo and Clare Montefalco'' and ''Saints Cajetan and Francis'' by

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

. One chapel housed an altarpiece of ''Mary and St Anne with Angels crowning the Virgin Mary'' attributed to

Giordano Giordano may refer to: People *Giordano (name) *Giordano (footballer) (born 1993), Brazilian footballer *Umberto Giordano, or simply Giordano, Italian composer Businesses *Giordano International, a Hong Kong–based, global clothing retailer *Gio ...

.Catalani, page 179. Among the other works in the church are ''Madonna with Saints Augustine and Monica'' by Solimena, an ''Immaculate Conception'' by Ferrante Amendola (pupil of Solimena), a ''Young Virgin Mary'' by

Paolo de Matteis Paolo de Matteis (also known as ''Paolo de' Matteis''; 9 February 1662 – 26 January 1728) was an List of Italian painters, Italian painter. Biography He was born in Piano Vetrale, a hamlet of Orria, in the current Province of Salerno, and died ...

, and a ''San Nicola'' by

Giacomo Farelli Giacomo Farelli (1629 in Naples – 26 June 1706) was an Italian painter active in Naples. Biography He trained under Andrea Vaccaro, whose style he at first followed, but he afterwards imitated with more success that of Guido Reni and Luca G ...

. Naples has another church dedicated to Santa Maria Egiziaca (Saint

who died in the fourth century) on a hill of Pizzofalcone, which has the name of the church is Santa Maria Egiziaca a Pizzofalcone).

References

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Egiziaca a Forcella, Naples Churches in Naples Baroque architecture in Naples Egiziaca a Forcella Roman Catholic churches completed in 1683 1683 establishments in Italy