San Lorenzo Maggiore Church in Naples

The facade of San Lorenzo Maggiore emerges like a vision among the narrow streets of Spaccanapoli. Where Via dei Tribunali intersects with the street of the Nativity scenes, San Gregorio Armeno, this church is considered one of the main Gothic monuments in all of Southern Italy.

Numerous members of the House of Anjou were buried in San Lorenzo Maggiore, including the first wife of Duke Charles of Calabria, Catherine of Austria, whose splendid tomb bears witness, around 1323-25, to the early Napoletan work of the great architect and sculptor Sienese Tino di Camaino.

Here, Prince Ludovico d'Angiò received his priestly ordination, son of King Charles II the Lame and future Bishop of Toulouse, canonized in 1317. The wonderful altarpiece depicting Ludovico was for a long time the treasure of San Lorenzo, but is now located in the Capodimonte Museum.

Several significant artists contributed to the masterpieces inside the church, such as Antonio Baboccio da Piperno who created the Tomb of Ludovico Aldomorisco, now located between the first and second chapel on the right, Colantonio, a leading figure in 15th century painting in Naples, who painted the beautiful Polyptych for the Rocco family and Giovanni da Nola, an excellent Neapolitan sculptor of the 16th century, who created the majestic high altar.

Traces of the Baroque period, though largely removed by subsequent restorations, are still visible in two particular areas: the third chapel on the right belonging to the Cacace family and the large chapel of Saint Anthony of Padua in the left transept, both adorned with embellishments in polychrome marbles inlaid by Cosimo Fanzago. But let us not overlook the 14th-century frescoes by Montano d'Arezzo and the Master of the Barrile, the paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries by Massimo Stanzione and Francesco De Mura, and even the environments of the sacristy, the refectory, and the chapter room.

The church has a majestic bell tower, also known as the 'Masaniello Tower' as it was used as a fort to hide weapons and cannons during the insurrection of 1647. This same structure was also involved in 1701 during the 'Macchia Conspiracy', during which it was captured by the Duke of Popoli and only then found peace and tranquility.

The events surrounding the development and growth of this church are quite complicated. On a site already occupied in Roman times by a covered market, called macellum, and later abandoned, a paleochristian basilica was built during the time of Bishop Giovanni Giovanni II in honor of the protomartyr Lawrence. In this same area, the first Franciscan community settled in Naples in 1234, thanks to the benefits of a donation from Bishop Giovanni d'Aversa to the Lesser Brothers.

When the Angevin dynasty settled in Naples, the Franciscans enjoyed a wave of building initiatives strongly desired by the new powers of the Kingdom. Around 1270, with the financial support and will of Charles I, work began on the new church, much larger than the previous 6th century basilica and with an architectural style inspired by French Gothic.

The entire apse area of San Lorenzo, with its wonderful ambulatory and radial chapels and the high presbytery, was built in this style due to the pressures of the Angevin court which made requests not only regarding the style but especially for political affirmation reasons.The transition from the apse area to the nave with a distinctly Italianized Gothic style symbolizes a change not only in designers but also in the relationships that existed between the Franciscans and the court, probably more liberated. The complex also became the seat of various civic magistracies and meetings of the Elected of the City and the General Parliaments of the Kingdom.

In the centuries that followed, the church underwent several renovations and changes, partly due to terrible earthquakes that occurred in Naples. In the particular climate of the Counter-Reformation, in the mid-16th century, changes became increasingly decisive, until the Gothic appearance was entirely eliminated, now covered by heavy Baroque superstructures.

After periods of enormous difficulties in the 19th century and the early 20th century, due to the danger of collapse and an inexorable decline, the church of San Lorenzo has now recovered its extraordinary original appearance, thanks to articulated and lengthy restoration works.

Many characters have intertwined, albeit unknowingly, their lives within the church of San Lorenzo Maggiore. In this church, Giovanni Boccaccio met his inspiring muse Fiammetta, the captivating Maria d'Aquino, daughter of King Robert of Anjou, during the Easter Vigil Mass in 1336.

Francesco Petrarch stayed for several days in the convent, and on the night of November 4, 1343, terrified by an hermit who predicted a terrible storm, he left his cell to join his prayers with those of the monks.

The church was also the site of literary academies attended by many scholars, including Giovan Battista Marino and Giovan Battista Vico. Lastly, those who found burial here included the literary figure Giovan Battista Manso, the writer and scientist Giovan Battista della Porta, and the musician Francesco Durante.

The archaeological complex of San Lorenzo Maggiore extends over a rather large area that corresponds to part of the commercial area of the ancient city.

Below the San Lorenzo complex, you can visit what remains of the Greek agora and the Roman forum. Ancient structures from the 4th century B.C. of the Greek period can be admired with foundations made of tuff blocks, on which a complex from the second half of the 1st century A.D., thus of imperial age, has been identified as the macellum, the ancient partially covered food market.

This structure was likely formed by a large quadrangular portico with shops on all four sides, organized entirely on terraces due to the slope of the land. Among the most interesting areas of the underground archaeological site, we highlight the section of road, about 60 meters long, where other commercial shops were located.

One of these buildings was most likely the ancient Exchequer, where the city's treasury was kept. However, the entire area was subject to a continuous impoverishment over time, culminating in a rather definitive abandonment at the end of the 5th century, caused by a flood that wiped out the complex.