Ospedale degli Incurabili, Naples, Baroque church complex in Naples, Italy
The Ospedale degli Incurabili is a baroque building complex in Naples containing two churches, Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria dei Bianchi, plus a historic pharmacy. The spaces now house a museum dedicated to medical history, displaying old equipment and hundreds of clay containers from the pharmacy's past.
Maria Lorenza Longo founded this complex in 1521 to care for people with illnesses considered incurable at that time. The structure grew over centuries and reflects Naples' shift from a medieval to a baroque center.
The Church of Santa Maria del Popolo displays religious frescoes by Francesco De Mura and other painters throughout its spaces. Walking through these rooms feels like moving through an open-air gallery where artworks surround you at every turn.
The complex functions as a museum and can be reached on foot from different parts of Naples. It helps to know in advance that stairs between levels are steep and several rooms have tight spaces.
The pharmacy was built in the 1750s according to a special design and retains its original painted ceilings and hundreds of ceramic containers. These rooms reveal how people once made and stored medicines, with details rarely seen elsewhere today.
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