Santa Maria di Costantinopoli

Santa Maria di Costantinopoli is a baroque church featuring a central nave flanked by two aisles. Each aisle holds five chapels decorated with carved stone lintels and gilded wooden ornaments.

Construction started in 1575 under Dominican architect Giuseppe Nuvolo and finished in the early 1600s. The completion coincided with Naples' period of urban expansion and baroque renewal.

The name recalls the Byzantine capital and its veneration of the Virgin Mary, a connection that shaped the church's identity. Visitors can see how colorful marble work throughout the interior reflects this eastern devotion.

The church sits just one block north of the Academy of Fine Arts, making it easy to include in a walk through the area. Visitors should dress respectfully and be prepared for dim interior lighting.

The apse holds a fresco by Belisario Corenzio depicting the Virgin and John the Baptist interceding to shield Naples from plague. This subject was common throughout the city and reveals how disease shaped daily life and fear during that era.

Location: Naples

Inception: 1575

Architectural style: baroque architecture

Website: http://associazioneaenea.it/?sermons=la-nostra-sede

GPS coordinates: 40.85279,14.25122

Latest update: December 11, 2025 18:06