SANFELICE, Ferdinando

The sixteenth-century church was completely rebuilt for the Jesuits by Ferdinando Sanfelice in the 1730s. The Jesuit Order was suppressed in 1773, and later the church became the chapel of the Nunziatella Military Institute.

The colourful fa�ade of the church forms a splendid view at the end of a narrow street. The simple polychrome nave with two chapels to each side blends perfectly with the lofty vault decorated with Francesco de Mura’s grandiloquent fresco of the Assumption.

The photo shows the fa�ade of the church.

The sixteenth-century church was completely rebuilt for the Jesuits by Ferdinando Sanfelice in the 1730s. The Jesuit Order was suppressed in 1773, and later the church became the chapel of the Nunziatella Military Institute.

The colourful fa�ade of the church forms a splendid view at the end of a narrow street. The simple polychrome nave with two chapels to each side blends perfectly with the lofty vault decorated with Francesco de Mura’s grandiloquent fresco of the Assumption.

The photo shows the fa�ade of the church.

One of the most distinguished among the palaces attributed to Sanfelice, is the Palazzo Serra di Cassano, a long structure on sloping ground with a front of sixteen bays. The rhythm given to the fa�ade is typical of Sanfelice’s free handling of the tradition. Giant pilasters over the rusticated ground floor frame the first, fifth, twelfth and sixteenth bays, some of the bays are evenly spaced without orders, while others are grouped together as trios. The main glory, however, of this and other palaces by Sanfelice is the monumental staircase, which ascends in two parallel flights, each of which returns, forming a complicated system of bridges in a large vaulted vestibule.

The photo shows the fa�ade of Palazzo Serra di Cassano.

One of the most distinguished among the palaces attributed to Sanfelice, is the Palazzo Serra di Cassano, a long structure on sloping ground with a front of sixteen bays. The rhythm given to the fa�ade is typical of Sanfelice’s free handling of the tradition. Giant pilasters over the rusticated ground floor frame the first, fifth, twelfth and sixteenth bays, some of the bays are evenly spaced without orders, while others are grouped together as trios. The main glory, however, of this and other palaces by Sanfelice is the monumental staircase, which ascends in two parallel flights, each of which returns, forming a complicated system of bridges in a large vaulted vestibule.

The photo shows the staircase of Palazzo Serra di Cassano.

It is as architect of domestic buildings that Sanfelice gives his best. His ingenuity was focused on staircase designs, in this field he is without peer. It is impossible to give even the vaguest idea of the boldness, variety, and complexity of his designs. In the crowded conditions of Naples these staircases often seem tucked away in the most unexpected places, and this adds to their surprise effects. The courtyard staircase in the Palazzo Lariano Sanfelice, a palace in Via Foria, is a characteristic example.

View the plan of the double staircase in Palazzo Lariano, Naples.

The original Baroque church of the Jesuits was built in 1588. At the beginning of the eighteenth century it underwent a complete modernization, including the building of a new church. This longitudinal structure, begun in 1713 after a design by Arcangelo Guglielmelli, was provided with opulent interior decoration under the direction of the painter and architect Ferdinando Sanfelice (1675-1748). The frescoes in the apse were executed by Francesco de Mura. The unified and splendid nature of the decor is considered to be the most imposing example in Naples of the transition between the Baroque and the Rococo.

After the suppression of the Jesuit order the complex around the church became the Royal Military College (Scuola Militare Nunziatella) and the church became the chapel of military institute. Originally the church was dedicated to the Virgin of the Annunciation, but it is popularly known as the Nunziatella to distinguish it from the Basilica of Santissima Annunziata Maggiore.

Francesco de Mura began painting the apse calotte in the Nunziatella in 1731 which he completed next year. He began the second phase in the fresco painting of the Nunziatella in 1749, one that had been envisioned since 1726. In this phase he painted the vault.

The iconographic concept on which the decoration is based is distinctly Jesuit in character. In the apse calotte the Adoration of the Kings, on the nave vault the Assumption of the Virgin are represented. In the half-lunettes flanking the fa�ade-wall window appear the Rest on the Flight into Egypt and The Holy Family at Work.

The Palace was erected during 1738, commissioned by the Marchese di Poppano, Nicola Moscati, and is attributed to the architect Ferdinando Sanfelice. Through an indistinct fa�ade one enters to an interior octagonal courtyard leads to a double ramp stairwell. The staircases with arches in shifting planes still grants an aura of complex scenography, despite its present dilapidated state.

Sanfelice’s ingenuity was focused on staircase designs, in this field he is without peer. It is impossible to give even the vaguest idea of the boldness, variety, and complexity of his designs. In the crowded conditions of Naples these staircases often seem tucked away in the most unexpected places, and this adds to their surprise effects.