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NAPLESWEB. English version of NAPOLISTORIA site.
Created by Andrea Brancaleone
This page is about the history and the monuments of the city of Naples.
The ancient writers have handed down old stories of mermaids :
Partenope, Ligeia and Leucosia, defeated by Orfeo during a singing
contest, and were turned into rocks. The name of the city comes from
the first mermaid. Another story is that of Ulysses, who was not
enchanted by the mermaids’ singing; they died by jumping off the cliffs of
the gulf. One of them, Partenope, was believed to have been found on the
islet of Megaride, where, later the Castel dell’Ovo was
built.
Neapolis was founded by Cumaen colonists,
who initially settled at Partenope, present day Mount Echia or
Pizzofalcone, formerly inhabited by the Phoenicians and later in the VII
century BC, by people from Rhodes. Having the original site been
abandoned, which was then called Palepoli, that is old city, the new city,
Neapolis, was founded in 470 BC. It gradually welcomed newer and newer
peoples and, upon the fall of Cumae by the hands of the Samnites, even
Cumaen refugees. The city was made up by decumani and cardines (these
were the names later adopted during the Roman age), that is roads that
intersect perpendicularly. This system was called ippodameus, from Ippodamo
of Miletus, Greek architect of the V century BC who may have invented this
type of urban structure. Besieged by the Romans, it was, in the end,
conquered in 328 BC and became Rome’s ally. In 90 BC it became a
municipality, then colony during Claudius’ age. Even during Roman
domination, Naples kept its Greek customs and traditions, and the use of
the Greek language. For these reasons the Romans, as always attracted by
Greek customs in addition to the mild climate, started settling by the
droves in Naples, making the city and nearby sites such as Baia, a
residential area, a very popular place. Many rich and famous people
built elegant houses along the shores, in the actual town centre and on
Posillipo and at Baia. Massive walls surrounded the city, tradition
has it that not even Hannibal was able to penetrate the city, finally
giving up the siege. Neapolitan Greco-Roman ruins in the present-day
city are scarcely evident: the most impressive example of engineering is
made up by what is called “Naples Underground”, which is actually a system
of aqueducts and cisterns that, although originally built during the Greek
age, was gradually enlarged in the following ages. This allowed in the end
to supply water not only to the city itself, but even to the imperial
fleet anchored out in Miseno. This network of conducts, which in part can
still be visited, was used up to the last century. Other examples of
Greco-Roman architecture are found in the area of the ancient town centre:
on Anticaglia street, brick arches can be seen which make up part of the
ancient Greek theatre. Next to the Duomo (the cathedral), remains of Roman constructions
can be visited. In the Campi Flegrei (the Phlegraean Fields) area, instead, age-old
constructions are more evident as well as actual world-renowned
archaeological sites: Cumae, the amphitheatre of Pozzuoli, the Thermal
Baths of Baia, just to name a few of the more important sites. The
Neapolitan Crypt, located behind the church of Piedigrotta, next to what
tradition (even since the Middle Ages) presumes it to be the tomb of the
poet Virgil, dug into tufa stone and over seven-hundred metres long, it
was built during the Republican age by the architect Cocceio. The
latter, most probably, was the maker of the other cave, called Seiano,
that connects Posillipo, where, as already mentioned, many of the patrician
houses were located, with present-day Coroglio; thus allowing an easier
journey for all those that were directed towards Pozzuoli and its port.
The Neapolitan Crypt, instead, was built to improve communications
between the city of Naples and the Phlegrean area. It was used up to the
end of the Nineteenth century. As previously mentioned, many
illustrious persons found dwelling along the coast since the Republican
age, but more so during the Empire: the Romans loved their Termae and what
better place than Naples, and especially the Phlegrean Fields, where there
were so many natural thermal baths that grew in fame during the centuries,
becoming places of treatment and holiday for politicians and
intellectuals. Caesar, Cicero, Lucullus had their houses here; these
places, celebrated by Virgil in the Aeneid, became more and more famous
and magnificent, in the luxury of the villas and the fascination of the
natural environment. There was also the Villa of Publio Vedio Pollione
in Posillipo, a very rich man, connected to Augustus. He built his
Neapolitan dwelling adapting it to the natural environment of the
Posillipo hill; even the theatre connected to the villa was built adapting
it to the natural slope of the hill. In 476 Romulus Augustulus, the last
Western Roman emperor, was imprisoned on the islet of Megaride (where the
Castel dell’Ovo was later erected). After the fall of the Western
Roman Empire, the Emperor of the East Justinian, sent his army guided by
the general Belisarius, to conquer the city. The Byzantines succeeded in
conquering Naples by penetrating through the aqueduct. A few years
later the Ostrogoths entered into the city, but later were turned back by
the Byzantines who, starting from 553, spurred an incredible growth to the
city holding out against the continuous attacks of the Longobards and
constituting a bridgehead of Byzantium’s power in the Italian peninsula.
It was thus possible for the Neapolitans to obtain some autonomy from
Byzantium, along with the right to name their own duke. The connection
between Byzantium and Naples grew gradually weaker however, until 763 when
Duke Stephen declared the duchy of Naples independent from the Byzantium
Empire. A thriving period followed for the city: the town-centre shifted
from what was once the ancient Greek agora to the Roman forum, the area
corresponding today to the churches of San Paolo Maggiore and San Lorenzo
Maggiore, to the so called Monterone hill, that is the area corresponding
to the church of Santissimi Severino e Sossio and the State Archives.
Unfortunately, from what must once have been the ducal palace, no trace of
ruins remain today.
The city through the Normans, Swabians and Angevins.
In 1139
the Normans, with Roger II, conquered the city. In 1130 he was crowned
king of Sicily, duke of Apulia and prince of Capua in Palermo, thus
building a unified monarchic state in southern Italy. It was William I
(named “il Malo”) who reigned from 1154 to 1166 to give start to the
construction of Castel Capuano, created as regal dwelling, to be used,
many years later as courthouse. Upon the death of William II (named “il
Buono”) in 1189, Henry VI of Swabia took on to conquer the southern
kingdom, Naples lined up with his rival Tancred, but was overcome by the
Swabian in 1194. We now come to 1197, year of the death of Henry VI,
to see now another figure appearing on the Neapolitan scene, and that is
Frederick II. In 1220 Frederick II is crowned emperor and returns to
the lands of the southern kingdom to bring order back to the chaos that
sprung with the death of Henry VI; he reformed the structures of the
state, was a cultured person, welcomed poets, scientists, and as far as
the city of Naples is concerned, founded the University in 1224. Upon
the death of Frederick II, in 1250, his son Manfred attempted to
recapture the kingdom; but the invasion in Italy of Charles of Anjou, and
the victory of the latter in the battle of Benevento (1266), brought in
the Angevins to Naples. Many sites of the city remind us of the
Angevins: from Castel Nuovo, thus called to distinguish it from the old
royal residence of Castel Capuano, to the church of Carmine and Piazza
Mercato, witness to the tragical story of the beheading of Conradin of
Swabia, nephew of Frederick II, and last heir to the throne of Swabia, put
to death on 29 October 1268. Charles of Anjou was a wise sovereign; he
favoured trade, protected artists and men of letters and beautified the
city by building new churches and a new royal palace. Once in the
city, in 1266, Charles of Anjou found the royal palace of Castel Capuano
lacking, so he decided to build a new residence outside of the city walls,
towards the sea. For this purpose the area called Campus oppidi was
intended, the area where Piazza Municipio now stands. The construction
work for Castel Nuovo, or, as was later named, Maschio Angioino, was
entrusted to the French architects Pierre de Chaulnes and Pierre
d’Angicourt, although Vasari attributes it to Giovanni Pisano. The
castle was different from what we see today; the successors of Charles
made modification and enlargements. Robert of Anjou commissioned frescoes
of the Palatine Chapel from Giotto, but unfortunately nothing remains
today of the works of the great artist. The entire area surrounding
the Castel Nuovo experienced enormous growth: during the Angevin dominion
the city enlarged this area, thus laying the basis for port development,
with what was to be called Molo Angioino. The Gothic churches built in
this time were remarkable: from San Lorenzo Maggiore to Santa Chiara.
Robert of Anjou, who reigned from 1309 to 1343, succeeded King
Charles. This sovereign too was protector of men of letters and brought
together a considerable amount of books. Upon his death, his niece
Giovanna (Giovanna, or Joan, I of Anjou) ascended the throne. The
assassination perhaps wanted by the queen, of the prince consort Andrew of
Anjou, brother of King Louis of Hungary prodded the latter to move towards
Naples at the head of his army. King Louis of Hungary plundered the city
and executed the suspects of his brother’s killing, then returned to his
country. Queen Giovanna designated as his heir Charles of Durazzo, and
later, Louis of Anjou. Charles of Anjou took over the reign in 1371 and
had the queen killed. Upon Charles’ death, years of brutal fighting
ensued for succession. In the end Giovanna (Giovanna or Joan II of Anjou
Durazzo), sister of Ladislao - who was also son of Charles and crowned
king at the age of fifteen but died at the young age of 38 - became
herself queen. There being no heirs, Joan of Durazzo adopted Alphonse
V of Aragon, but then reconsidered. Alphonse, instead, did not renounce
and besieged Naples. In 1442 Alphonse V of Aragon made his entry into
Naples: it is the dawn of a new era.
Aragons, French and Spaniards.
The first thing the new king
does is building a tangible sign of his power right over the symbol of the
old power. For this reason the triumphal arch was built in the entrance to
the Maschio Angioino; it will give eternal glory to the new king and
replace, in the memory of the people, the old dominators with the new who
had just arrived. The Arch, in resemblance to what the Roman emperors
were accustomed to (we are at the beginning of Humanism and never as now
was Ancient Rome felt so close), will show the triumphal entrance of King
Alphonse into the city of Naples. The name of the maker of the Arch is
unknown, among the most accredited names were those of Luciano Laurana,
Pisanello, Guglielmo da Majano and Pietro da Milano. Alphonse had the
Castel Nuovo restored by the Aragons architect Guglielmo Sagrera, which
gave the building the appearance it has today. The Aragon reign sees a
period of peace and prosperity, in which Tuscan, Lombard and Catalan
artists found themselves working together with local artists. And the
exchange going on among the local and foreign artists turned out to be
very profitable as new artistic techniques and forms were imported to
Naples. Porta Capuana, the tomb of Cardinal Brancaccio (the only
Neapolitan work of Donatello), the palace of Diomede Carafa, are only a
few of the examples of Neapolitan architecture in this period. Very
remarkable was also the growth of literary activity with the founding of
the Pontanian Academy. Regardless of all this, the Aragon dynasty did
not succeed in avoiding defeat by the hands of the French troops of
Charles VIII in 1495. Subsequently, following the battles among French and
Spaniards for the dominion of southern Italy, in 1503 Consalvo de Cordova
made his entrance into the city, taking over the city in the name of the
king of Spain Ferdinand the Catholic. The viceroy reign of the Spanish
lasted from 1503 to 1707, during these two centuries, although having lost
its independence, the city, with its trials and tribulations, experienced
a period of enormous urban expansion. In fact, we need only remember the
Spanish quarters and via Toledo, which take their names after,
respectively, the lodging of the Spanish troops in Naples and the viceroy
Pedro de Toledo, whom in his endeavours to promote city expansion to the
west, had that great road built which to this day still bears his name.
Another grand work achieved in the city was the Royal Palace.
Building started in 1600; the project was entrusted to the architect
Domenico Fontana. After a brief interruption, from 1707 to 1734, of
Austrian dominion, Charles III of Bourbon appears on the scene.
Bourbon Naples.
Don Carlo of Bourbon, son of the king of Spain
Phillip V, brought Naples to the rank of capital of an independent
kingdom. He assumed the name of Charles VII as king of Naples, his
reign lasting till 1759, when he had to succeed his step-brother Ferdinand
VI on the throne of Spain as Charles III. In 1759, Ferdinand IV
succeeded King Charles on the throne of Naples. During the reign of
the two kings, but especially during that of Charles, many innovative
thrusts were sought, forwarded by Enlightened thinkers. The feudal
prerogatives of the church were affected as well as the property of
certain religious orders that were confiscated by the State. After the
short experience of the Parthenope Republic in 1799, there ensued the
period of French occupation (1806-1815) with the reign assigned to Joseph
Bonaparte and, later, Joachim Murat. The Bourbon restoration
occurred in 1815, with the reign, which, from 1816, assumed the name of
the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. The Risorgimento movements of 1820
and 1848, are recalled, and lastly, conquest of the city by Garibaldi on 7
September 1860. Through the plebiscite of 21 October 1860 the city was
annexed to the Sabaudian kingdom. From that moment on the
history of the city
merged with that of the rest of the country.
Even a short treatise on the churches of Naples
cannot but start with the cathedral church. It was built on the site where
in ancient times two temples dedicated to Apollo and Neptune stood.
Already in the IV century the Basilica of Santa Restituta stood there,
then, in 570, a church was built dedicated to the Saviour from the name of
the bishop Stephen, who had wanted it. It was King Charles I of Anjou who
wanted to build the new church, which was erected only later by his son
Charles II, and it was inaugurated in 1315. It was later re-built by King
Alphonse I of Aragon, since it was destroyed by a terrible seism in 1456.
There were numerous remodellings in the course of the centuries. The
facade, restored many times, was completely redone by Enrico Alvino in
1887. The third chapel, to the right, is the so-called Treasure of San
Gennaro: during the Plague epidemic of 1526 the people made a solemn oath
to erect a chapel in honour of the holy patron saint; but construction
could start only in 1608. The chapel holds the ampoules that have the
miraculous blood of the patron saint of Naples. To the sides of the
Presbyterium is the Succorpo of San Gennaro, or Carafa chapel, the work of
Tommaso Malvito, and boast of Neapolitan renaissance art. The chapel
of Santa Restituta, then, represents the most ancient Neapolitan basilica;
legend has it that it was built by will of the emperor Costantino. Lastly,
there is the old baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte, belonging to the V
century. The visit to the churches of Naples continues with Santa
Chiara: Robert of Anjou wanted it built at the beginning of 1300. It holds
numerous tombs of illustrious personages, nobles and kings. Behind the
great altar is found the monumental sepulchre of King Robert of Anjou,
work of Giovanni and Pacio Bertini. The Dominicans who, in 1231,
enlarged a pre-existing church already dedicated to Saint Michael
Archangel wanted the church of San Domenico Maggiore. The sacristy holds
the arches containing the corpses of noble Aragons: there is also the one,
now empty, that held the corpse of king Alphonse I, later brought to
Spain. The church of Gesù Nuovo stands now where there once was the
palace of Roberto Sanseverino, prince of Salerno, built in 1470 by Novello
da San Lucano. The facade, in diamond shape pointed ashlars, is previous to
the church, being that of the palace of San Severino. Quite remarkable is,
within the church, the Altare Maggiore, as well as the Great Fresco of the
driving of Heliodorus from the temple, work of Francesco Solimene of 1725.
The church of San Lorenzo Maggiore was built by King Charles I of
Anjou, who called in French architects, giving the church its typical
gothic mark of churches found beyond the Alps. Since, later, the works
were interrupted, upon their resumption many years later, construction was
terminated by Italian architects.
The castles of Naples.
The Castel dell’Ovo was founded on the
islet of Megaride. It goes back even before the ducal age to that of
Ancient Rome, with the castrum lucullianum. According to a medieval legend,
Virgil built the castle. During the Middle Ages, in fact, the Latin poet
was believed to have great magical powers. It is told that he would have
placed an egg in a cage and hid this egg in a secret place in the castle;
the destiny of the manor and the same city of Naples were joined together:
as long as the egg was intact the castle and the city were preserved from
any type of misfortune and destruction. The original core of the castle
was part of the luxury villa of the roman noble Lucullus, in 476 Odoacer
imprisoned Romulus Augustulus there, the last roman emperor of the West. For
many centuries there were convents and after the arrival of the Normans a
fortress was built which after much remodeling, took on its present shape.
The Castel Nuovo was wanted by King Charles of Anjou and enlarged by
Alphonse of Aragon (see historical part). When the Angevin king decided
to build the new palace, a convent of Franciscan monks stood on the chosen
spot. However they obtained, as compensation, an area where to build a new
convent and a new church: thus was Santa Maria La Nova founded. Within the
castle we find the Palatine chapel (1307) which had frescoes by Giotto,
unfortunately today there is no trace of the works of the great artist.
Alphonse I of Aragon had the castle restored by the Aragons architect
Guglielmo Sagrera, which gave the Castel Nuovo the appearance it has
today, with the five towers. The Triumphal arch, between the Guard tower
and the Middle one, in remembrance of the conquest of the city by Alphonse
I, is one of the best works of the Neapolitan Renaissance, together with
Porta Capuana, the latter due to the mastery of the architect Giuliano da
Majano. William I wanted Castle Capuano and finished in 1154, it
housed the courthouses from 1550 to 1995. The Sant’Elmo castle stands
on the Vomero hill and was built in 1329 by Robert of Anjou. Previously,
however in its place there was a guard tower named Belforte.
The Kings’ palaces.
The Naples royal palace (see historical
part) was built in 1600, during the viceroy reign of count Lamos don
Ferrante Ruiz de Castro y Andrada, on the designs of Domenico Fontana. It
was built with the intention to house King Phillip III of Spain during his
visits to Naples; but this visit never occurred, and consequently the
palace became the residence of the viceroy. Later, it was the residence of
the Bourbon kings. The facade of the royal palace holds cavities
containing the statues of the kings founders of the dynasties reigning in
Naples. Starting from the left we have Roger the Norman, Frederick II of
Swabia, Charles I of Anjou, Alphonse of Aragon, Charles V, Charles of
Bourbon, Joachim Murat and Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoia. Charles
III, who wanted the palace and the woods for his leisure during hunting,
demanded the royal palace of Capodimonte. Within the palace he wanted
art collections of the Farnese collection preserved which he had inherited
from his mother. Construction of the royal palace started in the beginning
of 1738 and did not even stop in 1758, with the transporting inside of the
precious collection. It continued through the reign of Ferdinand IV.