Sansevero Chapel, Naples

History of the Sansevero Chapel

The chapel was built in the late 16th century as the family church of the noble di Sangro family, princes of Sansevero. It took its present form in the mid-18th century under Raimondo di Sangro, a scientist, inventor and patron still surrounded by legends in Naples. He devised the decorative scheme himself and hired the best sculptors of his day.

Each statue is an allegory of a virtue dedicated to a member of the family, together telling a story of wisdom, modesty and release from error. Today the chapel is a private museum and one of the most visited places in the historic centre.

The Veiled Christ

In the middle of the chapel lies the Veiled Christ by Giuseppe Sanmartino, completed in 1753. The figure and its fine shroud were carved from a single block of marble, and the cloth looks so light and sheer that you can see the features of the face and the creases in the cushions through it. A legend long claimed the veil was made by alchemy, but it's pure skill with the chisel.

Many consider it one of the greatest sculptures of the 18th century; the sculptor Antonio Canova is said to have offered ten years of his life to have made it. There's always a crowd around it, so step close and walk all the way round.

What to see in the chapel

• The Veiled Christ — Sanmartino, in the centre.
• Modesty — Corradini, a woman under a sheer veil.
• Disillusion — Queirolo, a net carved in marble.
• The painted vault — bright 18th-century frescoes.
• The inlaid floor — a maze of coloured marble.
• The high altar — a marble Deposition relief.

Modesty and the marble net

By one pillar stands Modesty by Antonio Corradini (1752), a woman entirely covered by a thin veil. It's the same trick as the Christ, a few years earlier: the marble cloth clings to the body as if wet. It's dedicated to Raimondo di Sangro's mother.

Opposite is Disillusion by Francesco Queirolo: a man frees himself from a huge net carved from marble, helped by an angel. The strands barely touch the figure, one of the most difficult feats in the history of sculpture. It's dedicated to the prince's father.

Prince Raimondo di Sangro

The chapel's creator, Raimondo di Sangro, was one of the most unusual figures of 18th-century Naples. He experimented in chemistry and mechanics, devised waterproof cloaks, new pigments and printing presses, corresponded with scientists across Europe and belonged to several academies. He turned his palace into a laboratory, and the neighbours whispered that he knew the secrets of alchemy.

Hence the Neapolitan legends about the chapel, such as the claim that the marble veils were real fabric turned to stone. Historians long ago credited the sculptors, but the story lives on and guides love telling it. Palazzo Sansevero, where the prince lived, stands nearby on Piazza San Domenico Maggiore.

Tips for your visit

Come at opening or for one of the last slots; midday is cramped. 30 to 40 minutes is enough, most of it spent at the three main statues. Nearby, Piazza San Domenico Maggiore has cafés and famous pastry shops making sfogliatella.

The chapel fits easily into a walk through the historic centre: Spaccanapoli, Santa Chiara, the nativity-makers' street of San Gregorio Armeno and the cathedral are all a few minutes away.

Museums in Naples: compare and choose

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Galleria Umberto I

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How to do it right

• Book a time slot online.
• No photos inside.
• 40 minutes is enough.
• Spaccanapoli is next door.

Questions