In 1325 Charles, Duke of Calabria began construction on what is now one of the richest monuments in Naples, the monastery of San Martino. The extensive layout of the place, serenely ensconced just below the massive Castel Sant’ Elmo, is nothing less than palatial, with two fine cloisters and a dazzling array of architectural and artistic wonders. The Carthusian monks were avid collectors and between the 16th and 18th centuries commissioned the greatest artists of the day to embellish their impressive edifice.
NEED TO KNOW
Largo San Martino 5 • 081 229 45 02 • DA (partial) • Open 8:30am–7:30pm Thu–Tue (ticket office closes 6:30pm) • Adm €6; between 18–25 €3; under 18s and over 65s free- The best place for a delicious meal is Renzo e Lucia (Via Tito Angelini 31/33; 081 191 71 022). Located atop the Vomero Hill, close to the Castel Sant’Elmo and the Certosa di San Martino, it offers a wonderful view of the city.
- Most of the ground floor is accessible, but the upper and lower floors seem to be under permanent restoration. If there is something you particularly want to see, ask one of the custodians and the locked rooms may be opened for you.
1.Façade
Although originally Gothic in style, the façade has mostly been overlain with refined Baroque decoration, including the large round windows.
The spectacular façade with refined Baroque decoration
2.Choir and Sacristy
The richly carved walnut choir stalls were executed between 1629 and 1631 by Orazio de Orio and Giovanni Mazzuoli. Take note of the cherubs and the abundance of volute curves.
3.Church
The elaborate nave of the church is a supreme display of Baroque art – the most complete record of Neapolitan art from the 17th and 18th centuries crowded into a single space.
The majestic and elaborate nave of the Church
4.Gardens and Belvederes
One of the best aspects of the Certosa are its gardens. Not only are the views from here picture-perfect, but the gardens themselves are lush and fragrant.
Beautiful view from the monastery’s gardens
5.Sculpture and Marble Decor
The altar, designed by Solimena, sports silver putti by Giacomo Colombo and silver angels by Sanmartino, who did many of the marble figures that adorn the chapels.
Sculpture depicting death
6.Chapels and Subsidiary Rooms
The eight chapels are decorated in a unified style consistent with the main part of the church. All of them are rich with brightly coloured marble and opulent gilded stucco trim.
7.Quarto del Priore
These were the quarters of the monastery’s Prior, spiritual leader and the only one of the monks who was allowed contact with the outside world. Aristocratic furnishings and priceless works of art from the Certosa collection adorn the walls.
8.Paintings and Frescoes
Dominating the ceiling is the Ascension of Jesus by Lanfranco, while the counter-façade has a lovely Pietà by Stanzione.
9.Chiostro Grande
The Large Cloister is one of Italy’s finest, with a 64-marble-columned portico that was designed in the 16th century.
Chiostro Grande
10.Monks’ Cemetery
In a corner of the Chiostro Grande is a plot where a small number of monks have been laid to rest.
THE MONASTERY’S GUARDIAN
Before entering the Certosa, be sure to take in the castle hovering above it. The monastery was built directly beneath Castel Sant’Elmo for the protection that it afforded. The original structure dates from Angevin times, but it was rebuilt by the Spanish in the 16th century on a six-pointed star design. Its original name was Sant’Erasmo, after the hill it stands on, but the name became corrupted over the centuries, first to Sant’Eramo, then Sant’Ermo, and finally to Sant’Elmo.
Pinacoteca and Museum Exhibits
1.Early International Renaissance Art
The most outstanding piece here is a triptych by Jean Bourdichon of the Virgin and Child and saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist (c.1414). The work employs masterful perspective and anatomical detail.
Triptych by Jean Bourdichon
2.Early Italian Renaissance Art
Of special note here is a 15th-century view of Naples, the Tavola Strozzi, by an unknown artist and the first painted view of the city from the sea. Sculptures include a marble Madonna and Child, attributed to Tino di Camaino.
Tavola Strozzi, a 15th-century view of Naples from the sea
Bernini’s Madonna with Child
3.High Renaissance Art
The most significant works here are marble sculptures, including a late 16th-century work by Pietro Bernini, Madonna with Child and St John the Baptist as a Child. Its twisting composition, with St John kissing the Child’s foot and Mary looking on, embodies tenderness.
4.Baroque Art
This era is the collection’s strongest suit. Significant sculptures include a Veiled Christ in terracotta by Corradini and a St Francis in marble by Sanmartino. A devout Lanfranco painting, Madonna with Child and Saints Domenico and Gennaro, is typical of the age.
5.Jusepe Ribera
The great Spanish artist, who worked in Naples for most of his life, was appreciated for his dramatic style (for further details see Jusepe Ribera). His St Sebastian is one of the most powerful works, showing the ecstatic face of the young man, his body pierced with arrows.
6.Micco Spadaro
This artist’s Martyrdom of St Sebastian provides an interesting contrast with Ribera’s work. Rather than focus on the man in close-up, he is shown off to the right being tied up, just before Roman soldiers let their arrows fly. Another Spadaro work shows the monks of the Certosa thanking Christ for sparing them from the plague, with a view of Naples’ bay through the arcades.
7.Stanzione
Stanzione’s Baptism of Christ is noteworthy for the luminous way the flesh is rendered, employing pronounced effects of chiaroscuro (light and shade).
8.Nativity Collection
Of all the priceless nativity scenes and figures here, the Cuciniello Presepe is by far the most elaborate. Quite lost is the manger scene amid 180 shepherds, 10 horses, 8 dogs, folk going about their business, a Moroccan musical ensemble and much more. Lighting effects create dawn, day, dusk and night.
Nativity scene, Cuciniello Presepe
9.Glass, Porcelain and Gold
The array of objects here goes back to the 1500s and includes painted plates, vases, tiles, pitchers, mirrors and figurines. Subject matter ranges from religious, such as a coral and gold Crucifix, to mythological, to scenes from daily life.
10.Neapolitan 19th-Century Art
Pre- and post-Unification was a time when Italians awoke to their cultural heritage and began to capture it in art. City views and its environs are informative of bygone days, as are the portraits.
NATIVITY SCENES
The custom of nativity scenes is traditionally traced to December 1223, when St Francis of Assisi celebrated mass before a sculptured group of the Holy Family flanked by a live ox and ass. However, in 1025, there was already a church of Sancta Maria ad Praesepem in Naples, where a representation of the Nativity became the focus of devotion.
Called presepio, derived from the Latin praesepe or “feeding trough”, referring to the Christ Child’s initial resting place, the art of the nativity scene grew to become a major undertaking in the 1600s. Kings and queens would vie with each other to gather together the most impressive, dazzling, poignant and often humorous display, commissioning the best artists and designers of the day. It was not until the end of the 19th century that these wonderful works were fully recognized as an artistic genre in their own right.
The oldest example of a monumental Neapolitan presepio comes from the church of San Giovanni a Carbonara; sculpted by Pietro and Giovanni Alemanno in 1478–84, it originally included 41 life-size wooden figures, of which 19 still survive in the church.
