The baroque Santa Maria la Scala Church is located in the Piazza Santa Maria La Scala in Naples. Originally this church stood on a different site, but after the redevelopment of the city, it was reconstructed in its current location.
Santa Maria La Scala Church Naples
Useful information
Address: Piazza Santa Maria la Scala – Naples. Opening hours: Unknown (but there are three masses in the morning and one more at 18:30. Entrance fee: free.
History
The first version of this church was built as early as 1054, at a time when the inhabitants of the city of Scala, which is now in the province of Salerno, had many trade relations with Naples. They were even assigned a small part of the city (outside the walls), which where the church was constructed.
Between the 13th and 14th centuries, the connection weakened and the district, which by now had been included inside the walls, was more or less abandoned.
A new church was erected in the 16th century. From then on, a succession of both lay and religious brotherhoods ran the church.
Baroque ornaments were added in the 18th century, and a century later the architect Pasquale Francesconi restored the church.
Toward the end of the 19th century, a reorganization of the city took place. This Risanamento led, among other things, to the demolition of the church, which up till then had been located in the Corso Umberto I.
In 1910, although in a different location, the building was reconstructed. The architect of this neo-baroque version was Emilio Merculiano.
Description
The facade is characterized by two pairs of pillars on a high foundation. The medallion in the broken tympanum above the door depicts a “Madonna and Child.”
The interior consists of a single nave with side chapels, a coffered ceiling and a dome.
There are works of art by Antonio di Lieto and others. There are also several tombs of supporters of the Kingdom of the Bourbons, who had been executed by the Neapolitan Republic in 1799.