Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo
Napoli
KnownSacred art
The story
The facade of pyramid-cut piperno stone hides symbols carved into the blocks, while inside the Baroque bursts out in marble and in the memory of the physician Giuseppe Moscati.
Access
FREE
The story
The church of the Gesù Nuovo, on the square of the same name, is one of the highest expressions of Neapolitan Baroque. It stands where once was the palace of the Prince of Sanseverino: of the fifteenth-century residence it keeps the unmistakable façade of diamond-point piperno ashlars, behind which opens a sumptuous interior of marbles, frescoes and paintings of the Neapolitan school.
What to see
The interior, among the richest in the city, is a triumph of Baroque art. It holds the body of Saint Giuseppe Moscati, the Neapolitan doctor canonised in 1987: the room with the ex-votos dedicated to him is the goal of a continuous pilgrimage. Outside, the obelisk of the Immaculate dominates the square.
Tips
It is a much-frequented place of worship: suitable dress and respect for services. Admission to the church is free; it is opposite Santa Chiara, on the same square. A striking sight: the diamond-point façade, unique in Naples.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the façade of the Gesù Nuovo special?
It is clad in diamond-point piperno ashlars: it belonged to the fifteenth-century Sanseverino palace, on whose ruins the church arose.
Who is buried in the church of the Gesù Nuovo?
Saint Giuseppe Moscati, the Neapolitan doctor canonised in 1987; the room of the ex-votos is a place of pilgrimage.
Where is the church of the Gesù Nuovo?
In Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, in the old centre of Naples, opposite Santa Chiara.
More gems in Napoli
Sacred artCappella Sansevero (Cristo Velato)
Napoli (NA)
Beneath a veil of marble that still seems to breathe, Sanmartino's Cristo Velato rests in the chapel's half-light, and the whiteness of the stone deceives every eye.
Sacred artDuomo di Napoli
Napoli
Three times a year the city holds its breath as the blood of San Gennaro waits to liquefy, among Gothic naves and the gold of the chapel devoted to him.
Sacred artCappella del Tesoro di San Gennaro
Napoli
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.
Sacred artChiostro di Santa Chiara
Napoli
A garden of pillars clad in yellow and blue majolica, where lemon pergolas and eighteenth-century scenes painted on the tiles keep the noise of the city at bay.
◆ Sacred artChiesa di Santa Luciella ai Librai (teschio con le orecchie)
Napoli
In the crypt of a small church rediscovered in the maze of the Librai rests the skull with ears, which the faithful believed could listen to their prayers.
Sacred artSan Gregorio Armeno
Napoli
The street of the presepe (nativity scene) masters, where terracotta shepherds are shaped all year round and the alley smells of glue and wood beneath Baroque bell towers.
More gems: Sacred art
Sacred artSanta Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco
Via Tribunali 39
Bronze skulls stand guard at the entrance, and down in the hypogeum the cult of the anime pezzentelle (adopted souls of the dead) still leaves flowers and prayers beside abandoned crania.
Sacred artPio Monte della Misericordia
Via Tribunali
Above the altar of an octagonal church still hangs, exactly where Caravaggio painted it, his Sette opere di Misericordia: a single canvas holding all the charity in the world.
◆ Sacred artSant'Anna dei Lombardi
via Toledo
Eight terracotta figures mourn the dead Christ with faces of piercing grief, while in the sacristy frescoed by Vasari the ceiling fills with constellations and virtues.
◆ Sacred artSan Giovanni a Carbonara
Napoli
A double forceps-shaped flight of stairs leads up to the church, inside which the monumental tomb of King Ladislao rises like a tower of marble.
Sacred artGuglie di San Gennaro
Decumani
The oldest of the Neapolitan spires, raised in thanksgiving to the patron saint who is said to have halted the lava of Vesuvius, his bronze statue keeping watch beside the Duomo.
- ◆ Sacred art
Complesso dei Girolamini
Napoli
Beyond the white facade open one of the oldest libraries in Naples and a silent picture gallery, among wooden shelves and canvases hung by the Oratorian fathers.