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Cappella Sansevero

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The Cappella Sansevero (also known as the Cappella Sansevero de' Sangri or Pietatella ) is a chapel located on Via Francesco de Sanctis 19, just northwest of the church of San Domenico Maggiore , in the historic center of Naples , Italy . The chapel is more properly named the Chapel of Santa Maria della Pietà . It contains works of Rococo art by some of the leading Italian artists of the 18th century.

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13-476: Its origin dates to 1590 when John Francesco di Sangro, Duke of Torremaggiore, after recovering from a serious illness, had a private chapel built in what were then the gardens of the nearby Sansevero family residence, the Palazzo Sansevero . The building was converted into a family burial chapel by Alessandro di Sangro in 1613 (as inscribed on the marble plinth over the entrance to the chapel). Definitive form

26-455: A commission by Raimondo di Sangro . The exhibit consists of a mature male and a pregnant woman. Their skeletons are encased in the hardened arteries and veins which are colored red and blue respectively. Previously, historians have surmised that the corpses could have been created by injecting the hardening substances directly into the veins of living subjects. However, recent analysis shows no evidence of techniques involving injection. Analysis of

39-431: Is a list of the works of art in the chapel, numbered in the accompanying diagram, along with the artist: The chapel also displays two early examples of what was long thought to be a form of plastination in its basement. These "anatomical machines" ( macchine anatomiche ) were thought to be examples of the process of "human metallization" ( metallizzazione umana ) as implemented by anatomist Giuseppe Salerno ca. 1760 from

52-527: Is a town, comune (municipality) and former seat of a bishopric, in the province of Foggia in the Apulia (in Italian : Puglia ), region of southeast Italy . It lies on a hill, 169 metres (554 ft) over the sea, and is famous for production of wine and olives. The history of Torremaggiore is strictly connected to that of the burg of (Castel) Fiorentino (di Puglia) , a Byzantine frontier stronghold founded by

65-648: The Glory of Paradise , was painted by Francesco Maria Russo in 1749. The original floor (most of the present one dates from 1901) was in black and white (said to symbolize good/evil) in the design of a labyrinth (a masonic symbol for "initiation"). In the basement there is a painting by the Roman artist Giuseppe Pesce , Madonna con Bambino , dating from around 1750. It was painted using wax-based paints of Raimondo di Sangro's own invention. The prince presented this painting to his friend Charles Bourbon , king of Naples. The following

78-433: The "blood vessels" indicate they are constructed of beeswax, iron wire, and silk. 40°50′57″N 14°15′18″E  /  40.849190°N 14.254880°E  / 40.849190; 14.254880 Palazzo di Sangro Palazzo di Sangro , also known as either Palazzo de Sangro di Sansevero or Palazzo Sansevero, is a late- Renaissance -style aristocratic palace facing the church of San Domenico Maggiore , separated by

91-598: The 1790s. On the night of 28 September 1889 the passageway was flooded and collapsed. The atrium has anthropomorphic sculptural decorations attributed to Giuseppe Sammartino and Francesco Celebrano . The mezzanine decorations of the Seasons are also attributed to Celebrano. The palace was once decorated with frescos by Belisario Corenzio , destroyed during the collapse of the hall. 40°50′54″N 14°15′19″E  /  40.848306°N 14.255139°E  / 40.848306; 14.255139 Torremaggiore Torremaggiore

104-515: The chapel was constructed it was originally dedicated to Santa Maria della Pietà , after the painting. The chapel houses almost thirty works of art, among which are three particular sculptures of note. These marble statues are emblematic of the love of decoration in the Rococo period and their depiction of translucent veils and a fisherman's net represent remarkable artistic achievement. The Veiled Truth ( Pudicizia , also called Modesty or Chastity )

117-453: The facade, with designs by Bartolomeo Picchiatti and with a portal entryway sculpted by Vitale Finelli . The palace's peak came in the 18th century when Raimondo di Sangro , 7th Prince of San Severo, redesigned the interior of the chapel and palace and linked the two buildings with a passageway. A marble plaque on the facade commemorates his association with the palace. He began the works in 1735 and they were completed by his son Vincenzo in

130-471: The via named after the church, in the city center of Naples, Italy. Part of the palace facade faces the piazza in front of the church, which is also bordered to the south by the Palazzo di Sangro di Casacalenda . A palace at the site was begun by Paolo di Sangro, duke of Torremaggiore in the 16th century as his family residence. It was designed by the sculptor and architect Giovanni da Nola . Around that time it

143-409: Was also resident to the nobleman and composer Carlo Gesualdo - it was here that he murdered his wife. Giovan Francesco Paolo di Sangro, 1st Prince of San Severo , began building a family burial chapel in the palace grounds - it was completed in 1613 by his son Alessandro , patriarch of Alexandria and archbishop of Benevento . Paolo de Sangro, 2nd Prince of San Severo, rebuilt the palace, especially

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156-435: Was completed by Antonio Corradini in 1752 as a tomb monument dedicated to Cecilia Gaetani dell'Aquila d'Aragona, mother of Raimondo. The 1753 Christ Veiled under a Shroud (also called Veiled Christ ), by Giuseppe Sanmartino , shows the influence of the veiled Modesty . The Release from Deception ( Disinganno ) completed in 1753–54 by Francesco Queirolo of Genoa serves as a monument to Raimondo's father. The ceiling,

169-547: Was given to the chapel by Raimondo di Sangro , Prince of Sansevero, who also included Masonic symbols in its reconstruction. Until 1888 a passageway connected the Sansevero palace with the chapel. The chapel received its alternative name of Pietatella from a painting of the Virgin Mary ( La Pietà ), spotted there by an unjustly arrested prisoner, as reported in the book Napoli Sacra by Cesare d'Engenio Caracciolo in 1623. When

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