Cappella del Tesoro di San Gennaro
Napoli
FamousSacred art
The story
Behind a bronze gate lie silverware, gems and the jewel-studded mitre of the saint: a treasure heaped up over centuries by the devotion of Naples.
Access
church FREE, museum €
The story
The royal chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro is the Baroque chapel that the Neapolitans had built, as a vow to their patron, inside the Duomo. It does not belong to the curia but to the city, represented by an ancient civic institution, the Deputazione, still in existence today: a rare case of a sacred place governed by the citizens.
What to see
It is one of the highest expressions of Neapolitan Baroque, with the frescoes of Domenichino and Lanfranco. Beside it, since 2003, the Museum of the Treasure of San Gennaro displays ex-votos and donations offered to the saint over some seven centuries by kings, popes and nobles: a treasure of extraordinary value.
Tips
The chapel is inside the Duomo, but the Museum of the Treasure has its own entrance and ticket: check hours and arrangements on the official site. Naturally to be combined with a visit to the cathedral. The Treasure of San Gennaro is, for its richness, among the most famous in the world.
Frequently asked questions
Who does the chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro belong to?
To the city of Naples, represented by an ancient civic institution, the Deputazione, and not to the archiepiscopal curia.
What is the Museum of the Treasure of San Gennaro?
A museum, open since 2003 next to the chapel, displaying ex-votos and donations offered to the saint over some seven centuries.
Who decorated the chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro?
Among others Domenichino and Lanfranco, leading figures of Baroque painting in Naples.
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