Sant Agostino alla Zecca, Naples, Baroque church near the former mint in Naples, Italy.
Sant Agostino alla Zecca is a secularized baroque church in Naples with a large stone facade bearing the hallmarks of southern Italian religious architecture. The interior holds ornate decorative work and structural details from the 17th and 18th centuries, including painted ceilings and a sacristy with notable frescoes.
The church was founded in 1259 by the Augustinian order and underwent a major reconstruction in the 17th century under the architect Bartolomeo Picchiati. That rebuilding gave the church much of the baroque form it has today.
The church takes its nickname from the old mint that once stood nearby, giving it a name that connects a religious building to the city's former money trade. The sacristy holds frescoes by Giacinto Diano, a Neapolitan painter of the 18th century, depicting scenes tied to the Augustinian order.
The building has been closed to the public since the 1980 earthquake and entry is not possible at this time. The facade can still be seen from the street during a walk through the historic center of Naples, and checking locally before a visit is a good idea in case access changes.
The area around the church was once home to the royal mint of Naples, where coins were produced for the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. That connection is so strong that it gave the church its secondary name, which locals still use to tell it apart from other churches dedicated to Saint Augustine in the city.
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