The Sansevero Chapel
Hello everybody! Today we will discover a magnificent and mysterious place in Naples, the San Severo Chapel.
On the occasion of his 250 years, today I want to celebrate with you the chapel of the Church of Santa Maria della Pietà.
Before seeing in detail the characteristics of this mysterious place,
let's make a brief mention about the client of the works of art that we can find in the chapel,
Raimondo di Sangro.
Raimondo di Sangro, known as the Prince of San Severo, was not only an important Italian nobleman,
but was also an esotericist, anatomist, alchemist, patron, Italian academic and original exponent of the European Enlightenment.
The prince's activity is still shrouded in mystery.
Already from this brief description we can understand how the chapel is shrouded in mystery.
But let's discover it together!
The chapel of the Prince of San Severo is one of the most important museums in Naples,
located in the historic center and close to the palace of the Prince of San Severo.
Inside the chapel we find important masterpieces.
First of all, we got the belt crest of Giuseppe San Martino,
known worldwide for this marble bell that lies on the body of the dead priest,
making it look like a real bell.
Admired by great artists such as Antonio Canova,
they thought that to make the veil the prince has used an alchemical expedient created by the prince himself.
On the left side, before the altar, we have Pudicizia by Antonio Corradini,
dedicated to the mother of Raimondo di Sangro.
The statue, most likely, is an allegory to wisdom
and represents a woman covered with a semi-transparent veil.
Surrounded at the waist by a garland of roses.
Parallel to the right, we find instead Disinganno,
created by Francesco Queirolo and dedicated to Antonio di Sangro,
the father of the prince, and which depicts the man who frees himself from a net,
symbolizing the sin from which he is oppressed.
These last two works are two of the statues of virtue.
In the chapel we also find other works of extreme beauty,
but these three of which we have spoken are the most important.
But we also have the anatomical machines of Raimondo di Sangro.
These are two skeletons of a man and a woman,
with a detailed reproduction of the circular system,
which, until recently, was believed to be a real circular system.
This belief was also due to the fame of the alchemy of Raimondo di Sangro.
Today, however, it is said that it is a reproduction made with different materials,
iron wire, tires, and beeswax.
Instead, skeletons and skulls are real human bones.
You know that, according to the Anapolitan legend,
if you are a university student,
you must absolutely avoid visiting the chapel of San Severo
before attending an exam if you want to graduate.
It is also said that by going to certain churches, the curse can be undone.
There are many legends around the San Severo chapel.
Did you know any of them?
Did you have the chance to visit the chapel?
If you did it, write a comment in the area below.
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