Sacro tempio della Scorziata, Baroque church in historic center, Naples, Italy.
The Sacro Tempio della Scorziata in Vico Cinquesanti has a two-order facade with paired Ionic stucco pilasters on the lower order and none on the upper. Its stucco and piperno portal is topped by a roundel with a cross on three mounts, the emblem of the Archconfraternity of the Santissimo Sacramento all'Avvocata. A gate with baroque-carved piperno pillars stands before it. The vaulted interior was devastated by a 1993 raid and a 2012 fire.
Founded in 1579 by three Neapolitan noblewomen including Giovanna Scorziata and the Paparo sisters, the church was originally managed by Theatine fathers as part of a larger religious complex.
The name comes from Giovanna Scorziata, who founded the convent in 1579 in a wing of the family palace; the church was also called the temple of San Paolo after the Theatines took charge. In 1585 Lucia Paparo left over a dispute about running the college and founded Santa Maria della Stella alle Paparelle. The 1993 raid stripped the altars, paintings and organ, and the Carabinieri have since recovered some pieces.
Located in Naples' historic center near other religious monuments, the church is currently closed to the public due to structural damage requiring restoration work funded by European Union programs.
In a hidden underground space, a fresco of the Crucifixion from the second half of the 16th century was found; the church's 18th-century wooden pulpit and organ were also stolen in the 1993 raid, and the floor was removed around 2015.
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