Immacolata
Decumani
KnownSacred art
The story
In the heart of piazza del Gesù the Baroque spire soars straight up, an explosion of marble and statues crowned by the Immacolata turned toward the sky.
Access
FREE
The story
The Spire of the Immaculate (Guglia dell'Immacolata), in Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, is the last of the three great Baroque obelisks of Naples, erected in January 1747 after those of San Gennaro and San Domenico. It was designed by Giuseppe Genoino, with the sculptures of Matteo Bottiglieri and Francesco Pagano, and bears at the top the copper statue of the Immaculate.
What to see
An obelisk twenty-two metres high, rich in marble reliefs and statues of saints, which dominates one of the most beautiful squares of the old centre, opposite the church of the Gesù Nuovo. Every 8 December, for the Immaculate Conception, the firefighters lay a wreath of flowers on the statue at the top.
Tips
The spire is in the middle of Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, in the open: you see it freely. Around you are the church of the Gesù Nuovo and, a few steps away, Santa Chiara: one of the most scenic spots in Naples. 8 December is the day of the traditional wreath of flowers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Spire of the Immaculate?
A Baroque obelisk of 1747 in Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, the last of the three great obelisks of Naples, with the copper statue of the Immaculate at the top.
What happens on 8 December at the Spire of the Immaculate?
For the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the firefighters lay a wreath of flowers on the statue of the Virgin at the top of the obelisk.
Where is the Spire of the Immaculate?
In Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, opposite the church of the same name, in the old centre of Naples.
More gems in Decumani
◆ History & archaeologyCappella Pontano
Decumani
A small Renaissance temple on the decumanus, which the humanist Pontano had raised for his lost wife, still lined inside with Latin inscriptions dictated by his grief.
◆ History & archaeologySedile di Nilo
Decumani
On the corner of a small Spaccanapoli square survives the seat of the old Nilo quarter, where the nobles once gathered before the sedili of Naples vanished.
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
San Domenico
Decumani
The square where the heart of Spaccanapoli beats, with the Baroque spire at its centre and the apse of the Angevin basilica that once held the rooms of San Tommaso.
More gems: Sacred art
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 artChiesa del Gesù Nuovo
Napoli
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.
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 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.