Raimondo di Sangro

Raimondo di Sangro, Prince of Sansevero (30 January 1710 - 22 March 1771) was an Italian nobleman, inventor, soldier, writer and scientist, best remembered for his reconstruction of the Chapel of Sansevero in Naples.

The seventh Prince of Sansevero was born at Torremaggiore into a noble family. His father was Antonio, Duke of Torremaggiore, and his mother was Cecilia Gaetani of Aragon. His mother died shortly after his birth. From the age of ten he was educated at the prestigious Jesuit College in Rome. In 1730, at the age of 20, he returned to Naples. He became a friend of Charles Bourbon, who became king of Naples in 1734, for whom he invented a water-proof cape. In 1744 he distinguished himself at the command of a regiment during the battle of Velletri against the Austrians. During his military command he built a cannon out of lightweight materials which had a longer range than the standard ones of the time, and wrote a military treatise on the employment of infantry for which he was praised by Frederick II of Prussia. [cite book|last=Legler|first= Rolf |year=1990|title=Der Golf von Neapel|pages=p. 135|location=Cologne|language= German|publisher= DuMont Buchverlag|id= ISBN 3-7701-2254-2]

His real interests, however, were the studies of alchemy, mechanics and the sciences in general. Among other items, he invented an hydraulic device that could pump water to any height; an "eternal flame", using chemical compounds of his own invention; a carriage with wooden horses which, driven by an internal mechanical system, could travel on both land and water; and a printing press which could print different colours in a single impression. [cite book|last=Daudy|first= Philippe |year=1964|title=Neapel|pages=p. 89|location=Lausanne|language= German|publisher= Editions Rencontre]

The Prince spoke several European languages, as well as Arabic and Hebrew. He was head of the Neapolitan masonic lodge until he was excommunicated by the Church. The excommunication was later revoked by Pope Benedict XIV, probably on account of the influence of Raimondo's family.

The last years of his life were dedicated to decorating the Chapel of Sansevero with marble works from the greatest artists of the time, including Antonio Corradini, Francesco Queirolo and Giuseppe Sanmartino, and preparing anatomical models. These models are still on display in the Chapel, and have given rise to legends as to how they were constructed (even today the exact method is not known). [cite web|url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/project/other-staff-projects/peters-anatom/index.htm|title=The anatomical machines of the Prince of Sansevero|coauthors=Renata Peters and Lucia Dacome|date=last modified August 23, 2007|publisher=University College London (UCL)|accessdate=2008-08-07]

Raimondo di Sansevero died in Naples in 1771. In 1794, the Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg named the plant genus "Sansevieria" after him.

References

External links

* [http://www.museosansevero.it Sansevero Chapel Website] it icon
* [http://www.napolitudine.com/Video/documentari/CappellaSansevero.htm Video of the Sansevero Chapel] it icon