Sansevero Chapel Museum, Chapel and museum in historic Naples, Italy
The Sansevero Chapel Museum, also known as Cappella Sansevero, displays religious marble art and paintings inside a 16th-century Baroque building in central Naples. The rooms feature frescoes and ornaments covering walls and ceilings.
Giovanni Francesco di Sangro commissioned the building in 1590 after recovering from illness, and Alessandro di Sangro converted it into a family chapel in 1613. Raimondo di Sangro arranged the installation of the current sculptures in the 18th century.
The name comes from the di Sangro family, whose burial site still shapes the rooms today. Visitors see marble statues of family members and religious motifs that reflect the identity of a Neapolitan dynasty.
The site opens Monday and Wednesday through Sunday from 9 AM to 7 PM, and audio guides are available. Visitors with visual impairments can request special tours.
The basement holds two human skeletons fitted with artificial blood vessels made from beeswax, iron wire, and silk from the 1760s. These so-called anatomical machines were long believed to be real embalmed bodies.
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