Church of Santa Chiara

The Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples is a monument of great historical and artistic importance, being one of the most significant examples of Angevin Gothic architecture in the city. It was commissioned by Roberto d’Angiò and his wife Sancia di Maiorca in 1310, who entrusted the construction of the building to the architect Gagliardo Primario. The basilica was completed in 1330 and consecrated in 1341, quickly becoming one of the main places of worship in the city. The exterior of the basilica is characterized by a Gothic facade with a large 14th-century portal, surmounted by a rose window reinstated after the bombings of World War II. The facade features a gabled structure preceded by a portico with three pointed arches. To the left of the church stands the 14th-century bell tower, completed only in the 17th century, distinguished by its square plan and three orders separated by marble cornices. The interior of the basilica is imposing, with a single nave approximately 130 meters long and 40 meters wide. The barrel-vaulted nave lacks a transept and features ten chapels on each side, surmounted by a continuous gallery with bifores and trifores. Among the most important works of art preserved inside are the frescoes by Luigi Garzi and Paolo De Matteis in the dome, as well as the 18th-century decorations by Ferdinando Fuga, including a marble floor with decorations that survived the war bombings. The presbytery area houses the tomb of Roberto d’Angiò, created by the Bertini brothers, and numerous other funerary monuments of noble Neapolitan families. On the left side of the counter-facade is the tomb of Agnese and Clemenza di Durazzo, a work by an unknown sculptor from the early 15th century. On the right side, instead, is the funerary monument to Antonio Penna, created by Antonio Baboccio da Piperno. In addition to the basilica, the Santa Chiara complex includes a vast monastery with four monumental cloisters, a library with approximately 50,000 volumes, a large archaeological area, and the Museum of the Opera. Among these cloisters, the most famous is the majolica cloister of the Clarisses, decorated with 18th-century majolica tiles by Giuseppe and Donato Massa and 17th-century frescoes depicting Saints, Allegories, and Scenes from the Old Testament. The monastery has had a tumultuous history, being severely damaged during World War II. A bombing in 1943 destroyed part of the interiors and many frescoes, including those by Giotto. Restoration work, started immediately after the war and completed in 1953, restored the church to its original 14th-century appearance, omitting the Baroque additions of the 18th century. The church has witnessed significant historical events, such as the delivery of the papal standard to Don Giovanni d’Austria by Pope Pius V before the battle of Lepanto in 1571. In the 17th century, the church was extensively renovated in Baroque style by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro and Gaetano Buonocore, with works by Francesco De Mura, Sebastiano Conca, and Giuseppe Bonito.