Chapel of the Congregation of Monte dei Poveri, Baroque chapel in central Naples, Italy.
The Chapel of the Congregation of Monte dei Poveri faces the inner courtyard of Palazzo Ricca on Via Tribunali. Its facade was rebuilt in the 1700s to designs by Gaetano Barba and is crowned by a majolica clock and bell tower added in 1751. The atrium holds sculptures by Girolamo D'Auria of Saints Thomas Aquinas, Januarius and Anthony of Padua, and a Holy Family canvas by Giannantonio D'Amato. Inside, the main altar of 1768 by Filippo Fasulo has polychrome marble work by Paolo Persico, with Luca Giordano's Circumcision of 1673, his Immaculate Conception fresco on the vault, and Solimena's Annunciation and Nativity at the sides.
The chapel was designed in 1663 by Don Giuseppe Caracciolo and served as a religious center for a brotherhood providing financial support to poor people. The structure was later enhanced with additional elements including an organ in 1685 and a majolica clock in 1751.
The chapel belonged to the Monte dei Poveri, a charitable institution founded in 1563 that lent money to the poor; from 1819 its palace housed the Banco di Napoli historical archive. Visitors enter through the courtyard of Palazzo Ricca on Via dei Tribunali, where the chapel facade faces the archive building.
The chapel is located within the Istituto Banco di Napoli and is not open for regular visits but can be accessed for special occasions. It is best to check availability in advance as opening times are limited and irregular.
The late-17th-century organ was completed in 1685 and restored in 1726; its gilded wooden putti were stolen in recent years. The majolica clock and bell tower on the facade, added in 1751 to Gaetano Barba's 18th-century design, face the internal courtyard of Palazzo Ricca.
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