Description
The Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore is one of the oldest churches in Naples, in the historic center near Piazza San Gaetano. Above is a Gothic Franciscan church, below the Greek-Roman excavations of the square where the ancient city held its market. Two visits in one.
The church has a single nave with sixteen side chapels. The most remarkable part is at the far end: the apse with its ambulatory, in pure French Gothic and without equal in Italy, with nine chapels curving behind the altar. The nearby high altar by Giovanni da Nola shows a Renaissance Naples carved in marble.
In the left transept the Cappellone di Sant'Antonio is a triumph of the Baroque by Cosimo Fanzago, with a canvas showing the city from above. On the other side of the transept survive the fourteenth-century frescoes of Montano d'Arezzo, among the few left from the period.
Along the nave are the tombs of illustrious Neapolitans: the philosopher and playwright Giambattista Della Porta, on the inner facade, and the musician Francesco Durante, in the Cappellone. Near the altar the tomb of Catherine of Austria is the first Neapolitan work by Tino di Camaino. The complex also houses the Museo dell'Opera.
The adjoining convent preserves the cloister and the Sala di Sisto V, frescoed by Luigi Rodriguez. But the real highlight is underground: the excavations reveal the shops of the macellum, the Roman market, built on Greek foundations from the 4th century BC.
The church was born in 1235, when the pope granted the Franciscans the church of the Forum. From 1270 the works were paid for by Charles I of Anjou, who had just defeated Manfred. French architects built the apse first, then the building site changed hands and the style turned Italian.
Here, according to tradition, Boccaccio first saw Fiammetta, during the Holy Saturday Mass of 1334. In 1647 Masaniello's followers stormed the bell tower and used it as an artillery post against the Spaniards.
Then came the Baroque, with the facade redone in 1742. Since 1882 restorations have removed almost all the additions, bringing the Gothic forms back to light. The facade, the Cappellone and the Cacace chapel have remained.
Don't miss
• The apse with its ambulatory.
• The Cappellone di Sant'Antonio.
• The excavations under the convent.
• The Sala di Sisto V.
Did you know?
• The leaves of the Gothic portal are still the fourteenth-century wooden ones, with 48 panels each.
• The future Pope Sixtus V was consecrated bishop right here.
The church has a single nave with sixteen side chapels. The most remarkable part is at the far end: the apse with its ambulatory, in pure French Gothic and without equal in Italy, with nine chapels curving behind the altar. The nearby high altar by Giovanni da Nola shows a Renaissance Naples carved in marble.
In the left transept the Cappellone di Sant'Antonio is a triumph of the Baroque by Cosimo Fanzago, with a canvas showing the city from above. On the other side of the transept survive the fourteenth-century frescoes of Montano d'Arezzo, among the few left from the period.
Along the nave are the tombs of illustrious Neapolitans: the philosopher and playwright Giambattista Della Porta, on the inner facade, and the musician Francesco Durante, in the Cappellone. Near the altar the tomb of Catherine of Austria is the first Neapolitan work by Tino di Camaino. The complex also houses the Museo dell'Opera.
The adjoining convent preserves the cloister and the Sala di Sisto V, frescoed by Luigi Rodriguez. But the real highlight is underground: the excavations reveal the shops of the macellum, the Roman market, built on Greek foundations from the 4th century BC.
The church was born in 1235, when the pope granted the Franciscans the church of the Forum. From 1270 the works were paid for by Charles I of Anjou, who had just defeated Manfred. French architects built the apse first, then the building site changed hands and the style turned Italian.
Here, according to tradition, Boccaccio first saw Fiammetta, during the Holy Saturday Mass of 1334. In 1647 Masaniello's followers stormed the bell tower and used it as an artillery post against the Spaniards.
Then came the Baroque, with the facade redone in 1742. Since 1882 restorations have removed almost all the additions, bringing the Gothic forms back to light. The facade, the Cappellone and the Cacace chapel have remained.
Don't miss
• The apse with its ambulatory.
• The Cappellone di Sant'Antonio.
• The excavations under the convent.
• The Sala di Sisto V.
Did you know?
• The leaves of the Gothic portal are still the fourteenth-century wooden ones, with 48 panels each.
• The future Pope Sixtus V was consecrated bishop right here.