Santa Maria la Nova

Church of Santa Maria La Nova
Chiesa di Santa Maria La Nova
The façade of Santa Maria La Nova.
Coordinates: 40°50′37″N 14°15′11″E / 40.843653°N 14.252961°E / 40.843653; 14.252961
Location	Chiaia Naples Province of Naples, Campania
Country	Italy
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Architecture
Architectural type	Renaissance architecture, Baroque architecture
Groundbreaking	1596
Completed	1620
Administration
Diocese	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Naples

Santa Maria la Nova is a Renaissance style, now-deconsecrated, Roman Catholic church and monastery in central Naples. The church is located at the beginning of a side street directly across from the east side of the main post office, a few blocks south of the Church and Monastery of Santa Chiara. Today the adjacent monastery is a meeting site and hosts the Museo ARCA of modern religious art.

Since the early 13th century, a Franciscan monastery, named Santa Maria ad Palatium had existed nearby, but by 1268, was demolished in order for Charles of Anjou decided to build his Castel Nuovo (new castle), or Maschio Angioino. By 1279, the Friars were granted this site to build a new church, hence la Nova. Initially constructed in Gothic style, the building was battered by Naple's frequent earthquakes but also suffered gravely from an explosion originating from Castel Sant'Elmo on December 13, 1587.

This last episode prompted reconstruction in 1596-1599, as announced in a cornice inscription, leading to the facade we see today, designed by Agnolo Franco Typical of Franciscan churches, the facade has a sober and simple restraint, accessed through a staircase and balustrade.

The church nave ceiling is decorated with 46 gilt-framed cassetone, or rectangular fresco panels, completed in 1598-1600. Among the contributing artists were Francesco Curia; Girolamo Imparato (Assumption of the Virgin); Fabrizio Santafede (Coronation of the Virgin); Giovanni Bernardino Azzolino; Belisario Corenzio (Passion of Christ); Luigi Rodriguez (Prophets and Sybils); Cesare Smet; and Tommaso Maurizio. Along the windows are canvases (Symbols of Faith) by Belisario Corenzio, who also painted the Final Judgement in the counterfacade in collaboration with Luigi Rodriguez. On the right of the counterfacade is a copy of a painting by Aert Mytens. The transept has canvases by Nicola Malinconico and Corenzio.