The Santa Maria Porta Coeli Church is located in Via San Paolo in Naples. This church is no longer used for its original purpose and has been converted into a warehouse.
Santa Maria Porta Coeli Church Naples
Address, opening hours and entrance fee
Address: Via San Paolo – Naples. Opening hours and entrance fee: The church is desecrated and cannot be visited.
History and description
The Chiesa di Santa Maria Porta Coeli is also known as the San Martino a San Paolo Church. It was built in the 14th century by an aristocrat family called Carminna. Members of this now completely extinct family were part of the city government at the time.
Originally the church was dedicated to San Pietro Aspostolo, but after the miraculous discovery of a Madonna image, the name was changed.
On the facade there are some remnants of the original decorations. Of particular note are the richly carved pointed arch window and the Gothic lunette. This lunette houses the aedicula that used to be placed above the portal. When the portal had to be moved in order to create a store entrance, the aedicula was taken away.
The interior, used as a storehouse, was formed by a single nave with a cross vault. It used to contain the tomb of Ferdinando Pandone with a statue of Girolamo Santacroce, along with some paintings.