Santa Maria di Donnaregina. Studies and researches for conservation of the fourteenth-century church

Publishers: FedOA - Federico II University Press

Series:  Storia e iconografia dell’architettura, delle città e dei siti europei

Pages: 237

Language: Italian

Abstract: The Church of Santa Maria di Donnaregina Antica boasts a distinctive spatial structure within the context of 14th-century Neapolitan architecture. It was built in the early 14th century at the behest of Mary of Hungary, wife of Charles II of Anjou, in an area north of the Greek layout of the city of Naples, close to the walls, previously occupied by an older Basilian monastery. During the 17th century, the complex was significantly enlarged, and a new church was built to replace the 14th-century one, which was abandoned and partially transformed. In the 19th century, the monastery was dissolved, and part of the convent buildings were demolished to make way for Via Duomo. Years of neglect followed until the church was restored in the 1920s.The volume outlines the construction history and transformations of the monastic complex within the context of the complex political, economic, and social events that characterised the history of Naples from the Angevin period to the early 20th century. It then develops a series of reflections on the restoration of the 14th century church conducted by Gino Chierici, as well as its current state of conservation. The author analyses the construction system of the roof and 16th-century wooden coffered ceiling of the church and considers the structural and conservation issues that affect this important 14th century building today.