Naples

 

Summary Santa Chiara is a solemn and majestic 14th-century Gothic basilica built by Queen Sancha of Majorca and King Robert of Anjou, originally as a Clarissan monastery and dynastic mausoleum. Its architectural purity lies in its vast rectangular nave, flanked by eighteen vaulted chapels absorbed into the walls, creating a rhythm of shadow and light beneath soaring clerestory windows. Though richly adorned in Baroque style in the 17th century, the church was devastated during World War II and later restored to its original Gothic austerity. Behind the high altar lies the tomb of King Robert, and beyond that, the cloistered Clarissan choir, separated by a wall with screened grilles which allowed the nuns to witness Mass without being seen. Within the church are a number of tombs and frescoes from across the centuries.

Built between 1310 and 1328 to honour Saint Clare of Assisi, and to reflect the rise of the Franciscan order and Angevin dynastic devotion, the Santa Chiara is a religious complex that includes the Church of Santa Chiara; a monastery which is a community of the Grey Friars; and a convent of the Poor Clares; tombs and an archaeological museum. It also contains a belfry that stands within the grounds at the northeast corner. The complex is surrounded by a citadel-like wall separating it from the outside world. 

Designed as a Clarissan monastery and dynastic burial site, reflecting both Franciscan ideals and Angevin royal patronage, which is reflected by the number of Kings and Queens that are buried in the church. 
 
Located diagonally across from the Church of Gesù Nuovo,  the Santa Chiara was constructed in the Gothic style of architecture, it was later remodelled in Baroque style by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro in the 17th century and was expanded in the 18th century.
 
The Church of Santa Chiara was built between 1310 and 1340, commissioned by Queen Sancha of Majorca and her husband King Robert of Anjou who are buried in the complex.

The church’s original style was Angevin Gothic, with a sober, rectangular nave and minimal ornamentation - quite distinct from the later Baroque exuberance that would be added in the 17th century. During World War II it was almost entirely destroyed by fire following an air raid but was rebuilt in 1953 in its original Gothic style, which consists of a large rectangular building 110.5 metres (362.5 ft) long by 33 metres (108 ft) wide. The nave is 47.5 metres (156 ft) tall and stretches for 82 metres (269 ft) in length.

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Santa Chiara has eighteen lateral chapels, nine on each side of its single rectangular nave. These chapels are not separated by aisles or transepts; instead, they are embedded directly into the walls, forming vaulted recesses that support the gallery above that runs the whole length of the nave below the clerestory and the stained glass windows which punctuate the church’s otherwise austere Gothic interior. Many of the original windows were damaged during the 1943 bombing, although several have been restored or replaced.

 

The integration of the chapels and the fact that the church does not have an apse gives it a distinctive rectangular silhouette, a design that preserves the church’s Gothic simplicity.
 
One of the embedded Gothic recesses that line the basilica with its vaulted architecture consistent with the 14th-century design is that of the Chapel of Saint Francis of Assisi. This is a quiet devotional space that reflects the church’s original Franciscan spirit.  It contains fresco fragments that depict scenes from the life of Saint Francis and Franciscan iconography.

 

One of the chapels is that of Philip of Bourbon. Philip formally known as Infante Philip, Duke of Calabria, was a Spanish prince born on June 13, 1747, in Portici, near Naples. He was the son of King Charles III of Spain and Maria Amalia of Saxony, making him a member of the House of Bourbon–Two Sicilies, a branch of the Spanish Bourbons.

Despite being heir apparent to the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily, Philip never acceded to the throne. He died from smallpox at the age of 30, on September 19, 1777. 

Philip is buried in the Bourbon chapel and his tomb is a notable neoclassical monument, designed by Ferdinando Fuga and executed by Giovanni Attigiati, with cherubs sculpted by Giuseppe Sanmartino. The chapel itself is the only one in Santa Chiara to retain its 18th-century Baroque character, standing in contrast to the church’s restored Gothic austerity.

 

The Tomb of Agnese and Clemenze di Durazzo is a joint tomb located in the Church. They were noblewomen from the Angevin–Durazzo branch of the Royal House of Anjou, descendants of King Robert of Naples. They were likely great-granddaughters of Robert, placing them within the extended dynastic network that shaped Neapolitan politics in the 14th and early 15th centuries.

 

Other tombs in the side chapels, include the tombs of the King of Naples, Francis II and his consort Maria Sophie of Bavaria, as well as those of Queen Maria Christina of Savoy and Salvo d'Acquisto who became a national hero for sacrificing his life to save 22 civilian hostages during the Nazi occupation. 
 
It also includes a tomb for Drugo Merloto and while detailed biographical records on Drugo Merloto are scarce, his presence in such a prominent sculptural composition suggests he may have been a nobleman, cleric, or patron associated with the Angevin or Durazzo dynasties. His depiction in a devotional posture implies spiritual significance, possibly as a benefactor or someone commemorated for piety or service.

 

After the chapels there is a section in the centre which contains the high altar, an austere yet majestic focal point that anchors the Gothic nave with solemn clarity. This reflects the church’s post-World War II restoration, completed in 1953, when the entire basilica was returned to its original Angevin Gothic style. The altar itself is a simplified, sober structure which was designed to harmonize with the 14th-century architectural ethos of the church. 

 

The tomb of King Robert of Anjou is located behind the main altar before the screens of the nuns. The tomb was sculpted by Giovanni and Pacio Bertini and is considered a centrepiece of the complex. 

King Robert of Anjou (1276–1343), known as Robert the Wise (Roberto il Saggio), and was one of the most influential monarchs of medieval Italy. He ruled as King of Naples from 1309 until his death, and also held the titles of titular King of Jerusalem and Count of Provence.

On either side of the high altar are two of the most significant dynastic tombs in the church, those of Charles of Calabria and his wife Maria of Valois. 

Left of the High Altar (North Side) is the Tomb of Charles of Calabria (1298–1328). Charles was the heir apparent to the throne of Naples and the son of King Robert of Naples and Yolanda of Aragon. Though he never became king himself, Charles played a pivotal role in the political and dynastic landscape of early 14th-century Italy.

He held the title Duke of Calabria from 1309 until his death, and was appointed Vicar-General of the Kingdom of Sicily (Naples) by his father.  In 1326, he was elected Signore (lord) of Florence for ten years, a rare honor for a Neapolitan prince, reflecting his influence beyond his native kingdom.

Charles died at the age 30, in Naples, on November 9, 1328. His tomb in Santa Chiara was sculpted by Tino di Camaino, alongside his wife Marie of Valois. His tomb is one of the most important Gothic funerary monuments in Naples, reflecting both dynastic pride and artistic excellence.

Sculpted by Tino di Camaino, this Gothic masterpiece features a recumbent effigy beneath an architectural canopy, with mourning figures and dynastic symbols.

Right of the High Altar (South Side) is the Tomb of Maria of Valois, which is also attributed to Tino di Camaino. Maria’s tomb mirrors her husband’s in style and placement. She was the daughter of Charles of Valois and mother of Joanna I of Naples, continuing the Angevin line.

Both tombs are embedded into the wall of the presbytery, just behind the altar, and are framed by the tall lancet window and rose windows above. Their placement isn’t just architectural, it’s symbolic: the couple, though separated in death, remain united in devotion and dynastic memory.

The altar is flanked by the rectangular friar's choirs on either side. Behind the altar is a wall separating the main body of the church from the nuns' choir. This contains three grill screens which allow the nuns to observe the mass, while preventing anyone in the nave from seeing them, something that was to be a first for the Clarissan order of Churches. Behind the altar, the chapels give way to the royal tombs.

At the rear of the church is the courtyard containing octagonal ceramic tiled columns and the cloister that were renovated in 1730 by the wife of King Charles III. Within the cloisters are frescoes decorated arcades.
 
Also to be seen is the museum which provides information on the history of the complex and a number of remains salvaged after its destruction in 1943, it also contains a collection of baroque nativity scenes.
 

 

To see more photographs and take a virtual tour of the site click on the photoshow below.