CHIESA DI SAN GIOVANNI A CARBONARA

It is certainly one of the most beautiful churches in Naples, built around 1344 but restored in 1418 by King Ladislao of Durazzo who wanted to make it the pantheon of the last Angevin rulers. It preserves painted and sculpted works from the 15th and 16th centuries and can be considered one of the most important Renaissance buildings in the city of Naples. It is accessed by a double, highly scenic staircase, in the shape of a pincers, designed by Sanfelice (around 1707), and enters the building through a portal on the right side. The church has a Latin cross plan with a single nave, to which various chapels have been added. Facing the entrance, the Miroballo chapel (mid 15th century) consists of a large marble altar carved by various artists from Lombardy, including Tommaso Malvito, who also worked at the crypt of San Gennaro at the Duomo in Naples. At the far left, the Cappella di Somma, which dates back to the second half of the 16th century, leaned against the primitive facade of the church, depriving the building of its traditional entrance at the end of the nave. The main monument of the church, which occupies the entire apse, is the mausoleum of Ladislao de Durazzo, son of Charles III, king of Naples from 1386 to 1414. Made in 1428 by various anonymous artists, it is 18 metres high. It is decorated with four large allegorical figures (the Virtues), which support the second level where Ladislao and his wife Giovanna appear enthroned, accompanied by other Virtues. In the upper niche, on the sarcophagus, lies the statue of the lying king, blessed by a bishop and two deacons. At the top stands the equestrian statue of Ladislao wielding his sword. Passing under the mausoleum, you reach the octagonal Caracciolo del Sole chapel, which is covered by a dome. Sponsored in 1427 by Sergianni Caracciolo, it preserves its marble mausoleum, attributed to Andrea da Firenze. The frescoes from the first half of the 15th century that decorate the entire walls are remarkable: they depict the life of the Virgin and scenes of eremitic life with an amusing descriptive character. The original majolica pavement is from the 15th century. Back in the apse, on the left, the Chapel Caracciolo di Vico (1499-1516) has a circular plan and its architecture is attributed to Tommaso Malvito or a master influenced by Bramante, a major Renaissance architect in Rome.