Santa Maria di Costantinopoli

The Church of Santa Maria di Costantinopoli is a 16th century church in Naples located on the street of the same name.

Its name is allied to the cult of "Santa Maria di Costantinopoli", which rose to prominence in 1527-1528, during one of the frequent attacks of plague afflicting the city. In this time, an apparition of the Virgin to an elderly pleaded for the construction of a church where her image stood on a wall.

Construction began in 1575, and continued till completion in the first years of the 17th century under the intervention of the Dominican architect Frà Nuvolo. The façade was competed in 1633. The design is generally conservative with a central linear nave and two aisles, each with five chapels.

The interior was decorated in stucco by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro; the vaulting uses gilded wood. The chapel entries have carved lintelpieces by Niccolò Tagliacozzi Canale (1728).

The first chapel on the right has an altarpiece of the "Madonna of the Purity" (1600s); the fourth chapel has a relief of the "Martyrdom of St. Bartholemew" (c. 1585) by the Flemish painter Aert Mytens. The high altar was designed in polychrome marble by Cosimo Fanzago. It frames the quattrocento fresco of "Santa Maria di Costantinopoli"; above it is a "relief of God the father" and to the side are statues of saints Rocco and Sebastian.

The apse lunette was decorated by Belisario Corenzio with a fresco of the "Virgin & John the Baptist pleading with the Trinity to liberate Naples from the plague". The arches hold images of prophets and sybils.

Photographic gallery

References

*Italian wikipedia entry