Fascinating and macabre, this 16th-century chapel filled with art is a must-see.
Found in the historic heart of Naples, this 16th-century chapel is a jewel of Naples' artistic heritage. The funerary chapel of the Di Sangro family was built in 1590, but was rebuilt by the eccentric prince of Sansevero, Raimondo di Sangro. He hired the leading sculptors of the day to decorate it and make the eclectic collection of religious art that visitors come and see today.
The chapel is best known for its array of marble sculpture on display, including the Veiled Christ by Giuseppe Sammartino, found at the centre of the nave. The highly realistic, life-sized marble statue representing Jesus Christ lying dead is covered in a transparent shroud carved from the same block of marble.
As well as the marble sculptures, the chapel is also known for its unusual and graphic anatomical works in the crypt. Perhaps not the place to take young children, the figures are the result of the prince's obsession with embalming. Local legend has it that the prince carried out experiments on his servants, injecting them to see which chemicals would preserve them – and not all of them were apparently deceased at the time...
Many other less macabre artworks are on display, including Francesca Maria Russo's fresco Glory of Heaven. And look down too, as despite a major collapse involving the chapel in 1889, fragments of the original floor survive in the passageway leading off from the chapel's right-hand side. The design looks like a maze, created using white and black marble.
Cappella Sansevero is situated in the historic centre of Naples, only a five-minute walk from Piazza San Domenico Maggiore. Piazza Cavour is the closest metro station. The chapel is open every day except Tuesdays, with shorter opening hours on Sundays and public holidays. There is a charge for admission, but children under 10 can enter free of charge.
