Naples is, and always has been, a city of contrasts. Grimy alleys and crowded streets giving way to unfathomable splendor. So it feels rather fitting that its most beautiful church doesn’t, from the outside, even look like a church at all.
An austere, fortress-like exterior belies what’s inside. But step through its heavy wooden doors, and Gesú Nuovo is a feast of beauty. Gobsmacking, in-your-face beauty. A kaleidoscope of Baroque.
If any catholic church is going to make you feel that sense of awe, it’s this one. More than this, like so much of Naples, it is shrouded in faith, passion and a fascinating history.
From Palace to Church
One of the most distinctive features of Gesú Nuovo is its intimidating, slightly odd facade. It doesn’t even look like a church – a hulking dark wall of stone spikes, more like a fortress or a weird geometric puzzle than a house of worship.
This is because Gesù Nuovo wasn’t originally a church at all. It was built as a Renaissance palace in the 15th Century for a local nobleman, Prince Roberto Sanseverino of Salerno. The architect, Novello da San Lucano, gave it a distinctive facade of diamond-pointed ashlar – hundreds of stone blocks carved into pyramid points jutting out from the wall. The design was meant to impress (and probably intimidate). The facade was so striking it was later featured on Italy’s 10,000 lira banknote (see here).
But barely a hundred years later, the noble Sanseverino family’s fortune turned. They found themselves on the wrong side of political machinations, and the grand palace was confiscated. In the 1580s, the old palace was purchased by the Jesuits, a Catholic order who were expanding in Naples and needed a flagship church. Rather than demolish the unusual facade, they decided to keep it – spikes and all – and built a church behind those existing walls.
Its facade is unique in all of Italy – you won’t find another church with a face of spiky diamond stones like this. And the contrast between the austere outside and the lavish sacred space within was entirely intentional.
The interior – a feast of Baroque
The transformation of the interior from palace to church was led by architect Giuseppe Valeriano. The result is astounding. If the exterior is austere, the interior is anything but.
It’s a riot of Baroque splendor, an almost overwhelming display of color, art and ornamentation from floor to ceiling. High above, the vaulted ceilings and dome are covered in fresco paintings and gilded stucco. This is Neapolitan Baroque at full volume. Designed to overwhelm the senses and bring the divine down to earth.
It’s made up of 11 chapels, with frescoes showing scenes from the bible. Most impressive – for me at least – is its immense dome, which has had to be rebuilt multiple times, but is no less beautiful for it.
The Chapel of San Giuseppe Moscati & the unexploded bomb
But despite all this Baroque brilliance, one of the most moving corners of Gesù Nuovo is actually a relatively simple side chapel. It’s dedicated to San Giuseppe Moscati – a 20th century doctor, who became one of Naples’ most beloved saints. Moscati was a local physician who treated the poor for free and became renowned for his compassion and medical miracles. In 1987 he was canonized a saint, and his remains now rest in this chapel inside Gesù Nuovo. There’s also a small museum about Moscati. Find out more about his life here.
One of the most enduring legends about Gesú Nuovo comes from the Second World War. When Naples was being bombed, people huddled in the church for shelter, believing it would protect them. In 1943, a bomb hit the church – directly hitting the roof of Moscati’s chapel. And… nothing happened. The bomb never detonated. All of those lives were spared. The miracle of the unexploded bomb. Dr Moscati protecting the people of Naples, even in death.
The casing of the unexploded bomb is now on display. In a church full of sumptuous art, that plain bomb shell gave me pause like nothing else.
The mysteries on the facade
A final point on the facade before I finish. On the diamond pointed stones that make up the church’s exterior you can just about make out strange symbols. Legend has it that these were meant to bring good fortune to the palace when it was first built. But somehow (mistake or malice, who knows) the builders placed the stones in the wrong order, and so the effect was the opposite: the Sanseverino family were cursed. This, so goes the story, led to their downfall.
In recent years we’ve got a bit more of a concrete answer to the etchings on the stones. An art historian has argued that the symbols are musical notes. When read in a specific order, they create a melody.
Why You Should Visit Gesù Nuovo
In a city filled with churches (literally, hundreds!) and unreal attractions, the Gesú Nuovo is truly one of Naples’ must visits. (And also… it’s free.) More than other churches, it has layers to it. It’s not just Naples’ most beautiful church – it’s the way that it juxtaposes with its austere facade. The spacious, dazzling interior, and how you exit to suddenly be crammed in on Naples’ tight, winding streets. The devotion and faith on display; the city’s love for its icons. Gesú Nuovo is Naples’ contrasts and beauty and endlessly fascinating history in microcosm.
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