The Charterhouse of San Martino in Vomero: from a Gothic monastery to a masterpiece of Baroque art

About this activity

The Charterhouse of San Martino is an immense complex, heir to an ancient Carthusian monastery dating back to 1325, and is located in Vomero near Castel Sant'Elmo. Besides being one of the greatest examples of Baroque architecture and art, it is also the heart of 17th-century Neapolitan painting, but let's not forget the unparalleled view of the Gulf of Naples. It is the second Carthusian monastery to be built in Campania after that of Padula.

After the Unification of Italy, it was declared a national monument and, as the various religious orders had now been suppressed, since 1866 it has housed the National Museum of San Martino, which has been managed together with the Carthusian Monastery by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities since 2014.

When we say that the monumental structure is huge, we are not exaggerating! The Carthusian Monastery houses about one hundred rooms, two churches, a courtyard, four chapels, three cloisters, and finally also the hanging gardens.

Why visit the Charterhouse

The jewel of the Carthusian Monastery is definitely the Church, characterized by a single nave made precious by chapels covered with marvelous marble inlays. What catches the eye is the magnificent vault, bursting with warm, golden colors thanks to paintings by Giovanni Lanfranco. Today, unfortunately, this area is not open to the public to better preserve this priceless artistic heritage.

The museum

The museum is structured on two levels: the countless rooms include the Carriage Room, where the "Chariot of the elect" which, in addition to being the oldest in the city, is also particularly dear to the Neapolitan people for often starring in parades, such as the Piedigrotta parade and the Corpus Christi Procession, and other important events. It is thought to have originally been manufactured in England because of some engravings in English noted on a drawing, and it also features the coat of arms of Naples on both the front and back frieze.

Magical to always visit, especially during the Christmas season, is the Nativity room, once the site of the Carthusian monastery kitchens. Today it houses several works inside: some smaller ones are still preserved in their original cases, the so-called "scarabattoli," and together they constitute the main public collection of Italian nativity art. Occupying an entire room is the famous Cuciniello Crib, named after its author, displayed in a scenic grotto.

As you stroll through the corridors you will notice rooms with objects that bear witness to life at the Carthusian Monastery, such as mirrors, portraits, very old sundials, even firearms and bladed weapons, galleries where paintings by admirable artists including Artemisia Gentileschi and Luca Giordano are displayed.

In second level, in fact, one finds the Nineteenth Century Gallery with its 950 paintings: this large exhibition is the fruit of countless donations from the Neapolitan bourgeoisie, which subsidized the work of the Posillipo School with admiration and pleasure.

Gardens and Cloisters

Unmissable stops are the splendid Gardens, whose extension reaches as far as the Vomero hill; they are accessed through a hallway and are distributed on three levels: the upper one, which was formerly the herbarium of the monks' pharmacy; the middle one, also known as the Prior's kitchen garden since his apartment overlooked it; and the lower one, which follows the walk along the vines overlooking the Gulf and the city, once walked by the monks during their hours of meditation and silence.

When visiting the Gardens you may come across an unseen place, the Cloister of Women, created to accommodate them as they were forbidden access to the Charterhouse. In the green areas, a major redevelopment effort has been undertaken to bring back to life the originally existing tree presences, including the cherry tree, two peach trees, a large climbing jasmine, hydrangeas and hedges; the Giardino dei Semplici allows people to rediscover the cultivation of medicinal plants and herbs that were used in ancient times by Carthusian monks.

Until 1578 only one cloister existed inside the Charterhouse, and it corresponds to the modern Great Cloister: that of the Procurators, in fact, initially served as a vegetable garden for economic subsistence and the cultivation of medical herbs. You will be enchanted by the porticoes, citrus gardens, piperno and marble grafts, busts of saints and marble skulls, and the wells and cistern, an important reference of hydraulic engineering of the time.

History

The ancient monastery, the ancestor of the present complex, was erected in 1325 at the behest of Charles of Anjou, Duke of Calabria and intended for the Carthusian order. Of the original structure only the ancient gothic dungeons, before the complex was transformed into a true masterpiece of Baroque art.

Of course, over the years the number of monks the monastery had to accommodate grew by leaps and bounds, which is why expansion projects were initiated in 1581, directed by Giovanni Antonio Dosio. Until the early seventeenth century, thanks in part to the initiative of Prior Turboli, the complex featured new cells, the water system, and the innovative water purification cistern (although the purification process did not work at 100%).

Much of the credit for the architectural beauty of the structure goes to Cosimo Fanzago, who was entrusted with its management in 1623. The architect introduced decorative elements of rare beauty for a monastery, giving weight to the chromatic, volumetric aspect and small details. It was Nicola Tagliacozzi Canale, following in his father's footsteps, who reached the pinnacle of aesthetic taste with his imprint from the Rococo style.

Because of the revolutionary uprisings of 1799 the complex was occupied by the French and suffered various damages. Many Carthusians were accused of sympathizing with the Republicans, consequently the King was intent on suppressing the order, then decided to reinstate it in 1804. For a twenty-year period the now-abandoned complex was used as a Home for War Invalids. After a series of restorations, the last time the Charterhouse housed monks was in 1836. Only after 30 years, at the behest of Giuseppe Fiorelli, was it annexed to the National Museum and opened to the public in 1867.