PhD Program in Historical studies
The church of San Giorgio dei Genovesi in Naples
The domination of the credit system of the city and in the Kingdom of Naples by the Genoese began in the early decades of the sixteenth century, to grow more and more in the course of the seventeenth century. Alongside the natives of the kingdom, as in the famous case of Bartolomeo d’Aquino, important Genoese families like the De MariThe De Mari were a family of Genoese origin, active in the kingdom of Naples from the beginning of the sixteenth century. Merchants, bankers and asentistas, they accumulated land, possessions and titles of nobility in the Early Modern period, increasingly rooting themselves in the Spanish society of the South of Italy. established themselves as prominent leaders of public life, often adding to their original fortunes derived from mercantile and banking activities, titles of nobility, feudal estates and political-institutional assignments.
The Genoese community residing in Naples had already built a small church under the infirmary of Santa Maria la Nova, but the need for a larger temple to represent the “Nation”, which was increasingly numerous and powerful, led to the purchase of an area where the theater known as della Commedia Vecchia (Old Comedy) was. When the theater was torn down in 1587, the church of San Giorgio dei Genovesi (Saint George of the Genoese) was built on the site, also called, in memory of the previous building, San Giorgio dei Genovesi alla Commedia Vecchia. The typically Baroque structure features a large raised churchyard which is accessed by a flight of steps, built by Bartolomeo PicchiattiBartolomeo Picchiatti (1571-1643) was a prominent architect who left his mark in many corners of Naples. A native of Ferrara, he lived most of his life and died in Naples. Among his pupils was his son, Francesco Antonio. in the course of restoration coordinated by the architect himself in the early seventeenth century. The façade is simple and harmonious, while the interior has a Latin cross plan with a single nave enhanced by side chapels, culminating in a polygonal apse. A generous coating of stucco decorates the barrel and domes, and there are also many works of art preserved in the church. Particularly worthy of note is Saint Anthony resurrects a dead man by Battistello CaraccioloGiovanni Battista Caracciolo called Battistello (1578-1635) was a Neapolitan painter. A student of Belisario Corenzio, he was the main exponent of the art and the style of Caravaggio in Naples. In the second part of his career, as a result of trips and stays mainly in Rome, his works were less related to the model closest to the influence of Caravaggio and Guido Reni and the Carracci., which clearly evinces the influence of Caravaggio on seventeenth-century Neapolitan painting, and the painting on the main altar depicting Saint George slaying the dragon by Andrea Sabatino, called Andrea da SalernoAndrea Sabatino, also known as Andrea da Salerno (1480-1545) was a Renaissance painter. Active in the current provinces of Naples and Salerno and in southern Lazio, in the last years of his life he worked in the abbey of Montecassino. He died in Gaeta, where he was working at the shrine of the Santissima Annunziata. His pupils were Giovanni Filippo Criscuolo and Severo Ierace.. Domenico FiasellaDomenico Fiasella, called Il Sarzano due to his birthplace (1589-1669), was a painter who trained in Genoa, in the workshop of Girolamo Paggi. After nearly a decade spent in Rome, where he studied ancient art, Raphael, Caravaggio and Annibale Carracci, he returned to Genoa. Here he produced most of his works, inspired by the late Mannerism and the local realism of Caravaggio., Jacopo CestaroJacopo or Giacomo Cestaro was a painter born in Bagnoli Irpino, near Avellino (1718-1785/1789) and Francesco De MuraThe Neapolitan Francesco de Mura (1696-1782) was formed in the studio of Francesco Solimena. The influence of the Neapolitan Baroque school of Solimena and Luca Giordano is evident in its rich artistic production, which went on to affect eighteenth century Neapolitan art. were the other artists who decorated the church during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Located in the historic center, in via Medina, it is now used as a university chapel, but also as a venue for seminars and cultural activities, graduation sessions, exhibitions and conferences.