In Naples you only have to turn a corner to find yourself in front of a church, and it's no coincidence that the city is often called the city of the five hundred domes. Describing them all would be impossible, so we've made a choice: the churches and basilicas that, during our visits, helped us best understand the city's history and art, from Angevin Gothic to the most exuberant Baroque.
Angevin Gothic: Santa Chiara and San Lorenzo Maggiore
The Basilica of Santa Chiara was built between 1313 and 1340 at the behest of Robert of Anjou and Queen Sancia of Majorca. Over the centuries it had been covered in Baroque decoration, but the bombing of 4 August 1943 and the fire that followed destroyed much of it; the reconstruction, completed in 1953, gave it back its austere Gothic appearance. Behind the high altar stands the funerary monument of King Robert, carved by the Bertini brothers, while fragments of frescoes attributed to Giotto survive in the choir of the Poor Clares. Don't miss the majolica cloister, which we describe in The Santa Chiara complex and the majolica cloister.
In the heart of the Greco-Roman city, where Via dei Tribunali meets Via San Gregorio Armeno, stands San Lorenzo Maggiore, a Franciscan church from the late 13th century. Here, according to tradition, in 1338 Giovanni Boccaccio first saw Fiammetta. Beneath the complex you can visit the excavations of the macellum, the market of Roman Neapolis: walking among those ancient shops gave us a real sense of how the city lived two thousand years ago. All the details are in San Lorenzo Maggiore and the excavations.
Gesù Nuovo and San Domenico Maggiore
Arriving in Piazza del Gesù, the façade of the Gesù Nuovo looks like that of a palace, and in fact it was: it is the diamond-point rustication of Palazzo Sanseverino, completed in 1470. In 1584 the Jesuits bought the building and turned it into a church, keeping the façade. The interior is a Baroque triumph with works by Cosimo Fanzago, Luca Giordano and, on the inner façade, the great Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple by Francesco Solimena (1725). This is also the resting place of San Giuseppe Moscati, the saintly doctor much loved by Neapolitans. We go into more detail in The church of Gesù Nuovo.
A few steps along Spaccanapoli bring you to San Domenico Maggiore, a large Dominican church from the Angevin period, linked to Saint Thomas Aquinas, who lived and taught in the convent.
The cult of souls: Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco
On Via dei Tribunali we want to point out a very special church: Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco, built from 1616 onwards. The façade is decorated with skulls and bones, a reminder of the transience of life that doesn't go unnoticed. Above the high altar is the Madonna of the Souls in Purgatory by Massimo Stanzione, but the true heart of the place is the hypogeum, where the cult of the souls in Purgatory was practised. Here you'll find the skull known as Lucia, adorned with a bridal veil and considered the protector of young brides. It's the same world of beliefs we find in Fontanelle Cemetery: between beliefs and truth and in Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco.
The Cathedral and San Francesco di Paola
You can't talk about the churches of Naples without the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, where the relics of San Gennaro are kept and where, several times a year, the miracle of the liquefaction of the blood is awaited. We devote a separate article to it: Naples Cathedral.
Leaving the old centre, we end in Piazza del Plebiscito with the basilica of San Francesco di Paola, designed by Pietro Bianchi after the Restoration and inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, with its great dome and the colonnade that embraces the square. It's a Neoclassicism far removed from the Baroque of the alleyways, but it perfectly represents 19th-century Naples as a capital city.
Getting there and when to go
Almost all these churches are in the historic centre and can be reached on foot from the Dante stop on Metro Line 1, or from the central station. We recommend visiting in the morning and dressing appropriately, covering shoulders and legs: these are active places of worship. Some cloisters, excavations and adjoining museums charge admission: check opening times and tickets on the official website before you go.
Nearby
To find your way around the city, start with our guide Naples and its surroundings. A stone's throw from Gesù Nuovo is The Veiled Christ in Naples, and to link these churches into a walking route, The most famous streets of Naples will help you. Art lovers will find more ideas in An art weekend in Naples.
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