Naples Cathedral

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Naples (Italian: Arcidiocesi di Napoli; Latin: Archidioecesis Neapolitana) is a Roman Catholic Archdiocese in southern Italy, the see being in Naples. A Christian community was founded there in the 1st century AD and the diocese of Naples was raised to the level of an Archdiocese in the 10th century. Two Archbishops of Naples have been elected Pope, Paul IV and Innocent XII.In 2004 it counted c. 1,600,000 baptized people.The current ordinary of the Archdiocese of Naples is Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe. Lucio Lemmo and Gennaro Acampa are auxiliary bishops.In the foreword to the Summa Theologica, the famous theological summary of the Catholic Church's doctrines, where a biography of the author, Saint Thomas Aquinas, is found, it is mentioned that he was offered the post of Archbishop of Naples (in the 1200s), which even then was one of the most prominent archdioceses, but turned it down.

The Treasure of San Gennaro is composed of art works and donations collected in seven centuries of Popes, Kings, Emperors, famous and ordinary people, kept in a museum in Naples, Italy. According to studies done by a pool of experts who have analyzed all the pieces of the collection, the Treasure of St. Gennaro would be even richer than the crown of England's Queen Elizabeth II and the Czars of Russia. The Treasure is a collection of art works, kept untouched thanks to the Deputation of the Royal Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro, an ancient secular institution founded in 1527 by a vote of the city of Naples, still existing. Today, the donations are exhibited in the Museum, whose entrance is located on the right side of the Cathedral of Naples, under the arcades. By visiting the Museum, you can access the Royal Chapel of San Gennaro, where the two ampules containing San Gennaro's Blood are kept in the Major altar. The museum was opened in December 2003 thanks to a project funded by private companies, European funds and local institutions under the patronage of the President Ciampi, on a proposal of the Deputation of the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro, (established in 1601). The curator of the project was the director Paolo Jorio.

Santa Restituta is a church in Naples, southern Italy, dedicated to Saint Restituta. The foundation of the basilica is attributed to the Emperor Constantine the Great in the 4th century and is mentioned in a passage from the life of Pope Sylvester I in the Liber pontificalis: "[...] at that time, the emperor Constantine built a basilica in the city of Naples." The basilica is most likely located on the site previously occupied by an ancient temple of Apollo.It is the original palaeo-Christian church on the site where the Cathedral of Naples now stands, and was rebuilt and incorporated into the cathedral when it built in the 13th century. In the crypt are archaeological remains: a Greek wall, belonging to the temple of Apollo, in opus reticulatum. Under the apse the peristyle of a late imperial domus was found, whose peristyle is still evident. Also a stretch of Roman aqueduct after the foundation of the city and a stretch of Greek road on an inclined plane. Santa Restituta has a nave with two aisles divided by 27 antique columns, and forms a large, separate part of the cathedral.

The Archbishop's Palace (Italian: Palazzo Arcivescovile) is a building in Naples, Italy. It is the official residence of the Archbishop of Naples. The building is located on the square largo Donna Regina one block north of the Cathedral of Naples directly across from the church of Donna Regina Nuova. Together, the cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace form a vast, connected complex. The original structure was built in 1389 at the wishes of Cardinal Archbishop Enrico Capece Minutolo on the site of an old early Christian basilica. The building seen today, however, is largely the result of reconstruction and expansion of the premises under Cardinal Archbishop Ascanio Filomarino, completed in 1654. That reconstruction was most probably the work of architect Bonaventuri Presti. The expansion included the clearing of the area directly in front of the building to create a small open square between the Archbishop's Palace and the church of Donna Regina Nuova. The building has an elongated shape and is marked by three stone portals.

The Pio Monte della Misericordia is a church in the historic center of Naples, southern Italy. It is famous for its art works, including Caravaggio's The Seven Works of Mercy. A charity brotherhood (Pio Monte della Misericordia meaning "Pious Mount of Mercy" in Italian) was founded in August 1601 by seven young nobles, who met every Friday at the Hospital for Incurables and ministered to the sick.In 1602 they established an institution and commissioned a small church, built by Gian Giacomo di Conforto, near the staircase leading to the Cathedral, on the corner of the Via dei Tribunali and the Vico dei Zuroli. In 1605, they received an apostolic letter from Pope Paul V, according special privileges to the high altar.The church was consecrated in September 1606. From 1658 to 1678 the edifice was enlarged, also with the annexation of neighbouring structures, by architect Francesco Antonio Picchiati, forming a complex with a palace and a renewed church. The latter, at the high altar, houses Caravaggio's Seven Works of Mercy. There are also paintings by Luca Giordano, Carlo Sellitto, Fabrizio Santafede, Battistello Caracciolo and others. The noblemen of the brotherhood at Pio Monte della Misericordia were looking for painters "to give permanent visual expression to their sense of charitable mission”. Regarding the sharp contrasts of the chiaroscuro in Caravaggio's painting’s, the German art historian Ralf van Bühren explains the bright light as a metaphor for mercy, which "helps the audience to explore mercy in their own lives".

The Church and Convent of the Girolamini or Gerolamini is a church and ecclesiastical complex in Naples, Italy. It is located directly across from the Cathedral of Naples on via Duomo. The facade is across the homonymous piazza and street (Via Tribunali) from Santa Maria della Colonna. It is one block west of Via Duomo.

Santa Maria della Colonna is a Baroque style deconsecrated Roman Catholic church in central Naples, region of Campania, Italy. It stands across from the church of the Girolamini.

Santa Maria Donnregina Nuova is a church in central Naples, Italy. It is called Nuova ("new") to distinguish it from the older Angevin church of Santa Maria Donna Regina Vecchia.

San Giuseppe dei Ruffi or church of San Giuseppe dei Ruffo is a church located on piazzetta San Giuseppe dei Ruffi, in Naples, Italy.

The Macellum of Naples was the macellum or market building of the Roman city of Neapolis, now known as Naples. Due to the rise of the ground level the macellum is now located beneath the church of San Lorenzo Maggiore. The first construction dates to 5th or 4th century BC when the area was the location of the agora during the Greek period. When Neapolis became a Roman possession it was eventually transformed into a macellum. This structure was covered by a mudslide in the 5th century AD, probably as a result of flooding.An early Christian basilica was constructed over the remains of the covered macellum. Consequently, this basilica was replaced by new construction over the centuries. As a result, the mud slide preserved the remains of the macellum. The macellum had an entrance to the north, where the Via dei Tribunali runs now. The rectangular building consists of a porticoed area with workshops and an internal open courtyard with mosaic floors. In the middle of the courtyard was a tholos, a circular building used for food selling. Small tabernae, a laundry and the treasury can still be recognized.Today the macellum can be visited as a part of the monumental complex of San Lorenzo Maggiore.

San Lorenzo Maggiore is a church in Naples, Italy. It is located at the precise geographic center of the historic center of the ancient Greek-Roman city, at the intersection of via San Gregorio Armeno and via dei Tribunali. The name "San Lorenzo" may also refer to the new museum now opened on the premises, as well as to the ancient Roman market beneath the church itself, the Macellum of Naples. The church's origins derive from the presence of the Franciscan order in Naples during the lifetime of St Francis of Assisi, himself. The site of the present church was to compensate the order for the loss of their earlier church on the grounds where Charles I of Anjou decided to build his new fortress, the Maschio Angioino in the late 13th century. San Lorenzo actually is a church plus monastery. The new museum takes up the three floors above the courtyard and is given over to the entire history of the area that centers on San Lorenzo, beginning with classical archaeology and progressing to a chart display of historical shipping routes from Naples throughout Magna Grecia and the Roman Empire. The museum provides a detailed account of the local "city hall" that was demolished in order to put up the church in the 13th century and continues up past the Angevin period and into more recent history. Beneath San Lorenzo, about half of an original Roman market has been excavated. The site has been open since 1992, the result of 25 years of painstaking excavation. The market place is the only large-scale Greek-Roman site excavated in the downtown area. In this church Boccaccio met his beloved Fiammetta (1338).

Santi Apostoli is a Baroque-style church in Naples, Italy. Legend holds that a church at the site was built atop a Temple of Mercury by Emperor Constantine. Restored by the Caracciolo Family, it was ceded in 1570 to the Theatine Order. By 1590, the adjacent cloister and monastery was designed by Francesco Grimaldi. In the early 17th century was reconstructed by Giacomo Conforti. In 1638, the work was continued by Bartolomeo Picchiatti. In the 19th century, the Theatine order was suppressed and the church turned over in administrations. An earthquake damaged the dome. The church now belongs to the Liceo Artistico Statale di Napoli. The counter-facade and ceiling panels were frescoed by Giovanni Lanfranco in the 1640s. The panels contain the following depictions: a Martyrdom of Apostles Simone e Giuda; a Martyrdom of St Thomas Apostle; a Martyrdom of St Bartholomew; a Martyrdom of St Matthew; a Martyrdom of St John Evangelist; a Glory of the Apostles, Virtue, Prophets, Patriarchs, and finally the four Evangelists on the pendentives of the dome. The cupola has a large fresco depicting Paradise (1684) by Giovanni Battista Benasca, who also painted the frescoes in the chapel of St Michael. This chapel has a painting by Marco da Siena The lunnettes in this chapel were painted by Giordano and Solimena. Over the main door is a painting of the Healing Pool by Viviani. The main altar was designed by Fuga. In the choir are five canvases by Solimena. The altar in the Filomarino Family Chapel at the right of the main altar, was designed (1647) by Borromini. The chapel has mosaics made by Giovanni Battista Calandra and copied from paintings by Reni. The relief on the altar of the four evangelist symbols is by François Duquesnoy, and two marble lions are by Giuliano Finelli. The sacristy was built in 1626 using designs of Ferdinando Sanfelice. The crypt was frescoed by Belisario Corenzio.