Santa Chiara ★★

The most beautiful cloisters in Naples

Santa Chiara is the most rewarding of Naples' churches, built in 1328 and half-destroyed by incendiary bombs in 1943.

It was restored as best as possible to its Gothic state in 1953—complete with its famous and gorgeous majolica-plated cloisters.

The church of Santa Chiara

The light-filled interior is lined with chapels, each of which contains some leftover bit of sculpture or fresco from the medieval church, but the best three line the wall behind the High Altar.

In the center is the towering, multilevel tomb of Robert the Wise d'Angio, sculpted by Giovanni and Pacio Bertini in 1343. To its right is Tino di Camaino's tomb of Charles, Duke of Calabria; on the left is the 1399 monument to Mary of Durazza. In the choir behind the altar are more salvaged medieval remnants of frescoes and statuary including bits of a Giotto Crucifixion.

The cloisters of Santa Chiara

You have to exit the church and walk down its left flank to enter one of Naples' top sights—and the most relaxing retreat from the bustle of the city—the 14th-century cloisters.

In 1742, Domenico Antonio Vaccaro took the courtyard of these flowering cloisters and lined the four paths to its center with arbors supported by columns, each of which is plated with colorfully painted majolica tiles, interspersed with majolica tiled benches.

In the museum rooms off the cloisters are a scattering of Roman and medieval remains.

The piazza

On the piazza outside is one of Naples' several baroque spires, the guglia dell'Immacolata, a tall pile of statues and reliefs sculpted in 1750.

Tips & links

Share this page

Search ReidsItaly.com