Santa Chiara, Gothic monastery and basilica in central Naples, Italy
Santa Chiara is a monastic church complex in central Naples organized around a square cloister with arched colonnades and colorful ceramic tiles. The basilica itself displays a plain interior with tall pointed arches and a narrow nave after wartime damage.
Robert of Anjou and his wife Sancha of Majorca commissioned the complex; architect Gagliardo Primario began work in 1310 and finished in 1328, with consecration to Saint Clare in 1341. Allied bombing on 4 August 1943 started a fire lasting nearly two days, destroying 18th-century frescoes and most of Giotto's work in the nuns' choir. Restoration completed in 1953 returned the church to its 14th-century Gothic form, omitting the 18th-century Baroque additions.
The complex is named after Saint Clare of Assisi, and the Angevin kings Robert and Sancha are buried here. The cloister of the Clarisses, added in 1742 by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro, is decorated with majolica tiles by Giuseppe and Donato Massa and with frescoes of saints, allegories and Old Testament scenes.
The entrance to the basilica is on Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, while the museum and cloister require a separate entrance. Visitors should plan at least an hour to see the entire complex.
The majolica tiles in the cloister were added only in the 18th century and show everyday Neapolitan life like fishing boats or landscapes alongside religious themes. Visitors also discover Roman ruins beneath the monastery floor through archaeological windows along the cloister walls.
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