Basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità
In the volcanic and teeming heart of the Rione Sanità, in the shadow of the imposing 19th-century bridge, stands a masterpiece that dominates the landscape with its unmistakable dome covered in bright yellow and green majolica tiles.
The Basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità is much more than a church: it is the welcoming womb of an entire neighborhood. Built at the beginning of the 17th century by the brilliant Dominican architect Fra Nuvolo, Neapolitans affectionately call it the "Church of the Monacone" (the big monk), due to the deep and visceral devotion to the statue of Saint Vincent Ferrer kept inside.
What makes this basilica unique in religious architecture is its astonishing connection with the underground world. Fra Nuvolo decided, in fact, to build the temple exactly over the ancient Catacombs of San Gaudioso.
Crossing the entrance, your gaze is immediately captured by the grandiose pincer-like marble staircase leading to the raised presbytery, beneath which opens the access to the early Christian crypt. It is breathtaking scenery, a bridge of stone and light that unites the world of the living with that of the dead. Today, animated by the unstoppable energy of the neighborhood's youth, the Basilica is not only a jewel of the Neapolitan Baroque, but the proud symbol of the redemption and resilience of the entire Sanità district.
INFO
ADDRESS: Piazza della Sanità, 14, 80136 Napoli (NA)
PHONE NUMBER: +39 081 744 3714
WEB: www.catacombedinapoli.it
MAIL: info@catacombedinapoli.it
