Sansevero Chapel

The Sansevero Chapel

The Naples audio-guided tour stops you before the Sansevero Chapel, plain in appearance but housing an exceptional set of Baroque sculptures. A funerary chapel of the di Sangro family, this place of contemplation and art is discovered with respect.

A masterpiece in marble

The chapel preserves about thirty marble sculptures, among them the famous Modesty and Veiled Christ. Modesty, the work of Antonio Corradini, depicts a woman entirely covered with a veil carved in marble with astonishing delicacy. The Veiled Christ, sketched by Corradini and then completed by Giuseppe Sanmartino, depicts the dead Christ covered with a transparent shroud: the technical feat commands admiration and respect.

What there is to see

Beyond the Veiled Christ, a jewel of 18th-century sculpture, the chapel reveals a refined Baroque decoration, commissioned by Raimondo di Sangro, prince of Sansevero, a scholar and patron of many talents. The whole, full of symbolism, is contemplated in the silence and contemplation befitting a family funerary chapel.

Practical information

The Sansevero Chapel, now a museum, is in the historic centre of Naples, near Piazza San Domenico Maggiore. Access is ticketed and subject to hours that vary by season; as it is very busy, it is best to plan ahead. A place of contemplation, it requires a respectful and quiet attitude.

What is the most famous work in the chapel ?

The Veiled Christ by Giuseppe Sanmartino, a marble sculpture depicting the dead Christ under a shroud of striking delicacy.

What was the Sansevero Chapel for ?

It was the funerary chapel of the di Sangro family, decorated by the prince of Sansevero in the 18th century.