Church of Santa Maria Avvocata

Church of Santa Maria Avvocata
Chiesa di Santa Maria Avvocata  (Italian)
40°51′1.08″N 14°14′55.03″E / 40.8503000°N 14.2486194°E / 40.8503000; 14.2486194Coordinates: 40°51′1.08″N 14°14′55.03″E / 40.8503000°N 14.2486194°E / 40.8503000; 14.2486194
Location Naples, Campania
Country Italy
Denomination Roman Catholic
History
Founded 16th century
Architecture
Style Baroque
Administration
Archdiocese Archdiocese of Naples

The Church of Santa Maria Avvocata is a Catholic church located at the end of Via Avvocata in Piazza Dante in the Historic Center of Naples, Italy.

History

The church building dates back to the 16th century, when the Carmelite priest Alessandro Mollo built a church with a small convent. By the end of the century, Cardinal Alfonso Gesualdo, the Archbishop of Naples, had purchased the complex and raised it to the status of a parish church.[1]

In the subsequent centuries, the church was remodeled in the Baroque style common to many of the churches in Naples. The facade was re-designed by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro with stucco.[1]

The center of the parish was then moved from Santa Maria Avvocata to the nearby Church of San Domenico Soriano.[1]

The nave is bright and full of decorations and festoons. Its plan is rectangular and the high altar is made of multicolored marble. The design of the interior is similar to that of the nearby Church of Sant'Antonio a Tarsia. Several frescoes inside are by Luca Giordano and Vincenzo Galloppi.[1]

On the left side of the facade is a door that leads to the quarters of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament of Avvocata, where there are frescoes by Andrea dell'Asta and Francesco Solimena.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Spinosa, Nicola (1985). Guida sacra della città di Napoli [Sacred Guide of the City of Naples] (in Italian). Società Editrice Napoletana.
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