Santa Maria Incoronata, Gothic church near Castel Nuovo in Naples, Italy
Santa Maria Incoronata is a Gothic church in central Naples, close to Castel Nuovo, with a vaulted interior whose walls are covered entirely in frescoes. The paintings show the Seven Sacraments and scenes from the Old Testament, covering the full surface of the interior walls.
The church was commissioned in 1364 by Queen Joanna I of Naples to house a sacred relic. It was built when the Anjou dynasty ruled the city and used architecture to display its authority.
The frescoes show members of the Anjou dynasty placed within religious scenes, mixing the image of the ruling family with sacred subjects. These painted figures are still visible on the walls today and give a direct sense of how faith and power were displayed together in medieval Naples.
The church sits in central Naples near Castel Nuovo and is easy to reach on foot from the main transit points in the area. The entrance is well below the current street level, so visitors walk down several steps to get inside.
The church floor sits about 10 feet (3 meters) below the current street level because of landfill work carried out during the construction of Castel Nuovo. This drop is not the result of decay but of a deliberate reshaping of the ground around the new fortress.
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