The Basilica of St. Francis of Paola

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The Minor Basilica of St. Francis of Paola in Piazza del Plebiscito is one of the most important examples of neoclassical architecture in Italy, built by architect Pietro Bianchi at the behest of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies as a vow to the saint.

Why visit Basilica of St. Francis of Paola

Similar to the Pantheon in Rome from which the architect was inspired, the facade is preceded by a pronaos with six columns and two pillars of Ionic order supporting an architrave on which is carved the dedication to St. Francis of Paola. A tympanum surmounts the pronaos: here are the statue depicting St. Francis of Paola by Joseph del Nero and the statues of Saint Ferdinand of Castile and of the Religion sculpted by Heinrich Konrad Schweickle.

The church has three domes supported by a colonnade of Corinthian order: the central one is 53 meters high and is built on a large drum. Upon entering, one enters the atrium on either side of which are two chapels with respective domes. The left chapel is dedicated to the souls in Purgatory and here it is possible to admire a painting by Luca Giordano depicting St. Onofrio, a canvas of Paul de Matteis de The Trinity and other works by Raphael Postiglione and Joseph Bonito. The right chapel is dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament: inside it preserves an 18th-century polychrome marble altar surmounted by a canvas by an unknown artist depicting St. Francis of Paola.

After the atrium, one enters the central body of the church with a round shape and marble columns of Mondragone all around the perimeter. The columns support the drum inside which are the stands used by royalty to attend religious services.

Continuing, three more chapels open on the left and right sides with various works such as canvases by Tommaso de Vivo depicting the Death of St. Andrew of Avellino, the Immaculate Conception, and the Transit of St. Joseph by Camillo Guerra, monochrome cartoons such as the Last Communion of St. Ferdinand of Castile by Pietro Benvenuti, and the painting of St. Francis of Paola by Natale Carta.

In the apse area is the high altar designed by Ferdinand Fuga, originally intended for the Church of the Holy Apostles to Naples: made of porphyry, on its sides are two Egyptian breccia columns used as candelabra and it has been embellished with lapis lazuli and agate stone. On the altar it is possible to admire the painting of Vincenzo Camuccini, St. Francis of Paola resurrecting young Alexander.

Underneath the basilica is a hypogeum of more than 1,000 square meters: tunnels and corridors branching around a circular vaulted roof room supported by a mushroom-shaped structure. Cleared of debris during restoration in 2018, it is speculated to have been intended to house the tombs of the Bourbon.

History of the Basilica of St. Francis of Paola

With the arrival of Joachim Murat in Naples there was a plan for the urban development of the city: the general ordered the construction of the square that was to be named Grand Forum Joachim, resulting in the demolition of all the buildings there. In 1809 work began, however, it was not completed with the ouster of the general from Naples and the restoration of the kingdom of the Bourbon. Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies decided to build the church in the square as a vow to St. Francis of Paola who had supported his return to the throne: the competition was won by architect Pietro Bianchi, and in 1846 it was brought to completion.

Curiosities about the Basilica of St. Francis of Paola

Ferdinand II had this church erected with a specific request: the dome should not exceed in height and majesty the Royal Palace, opposite in the same square. The Church of St. Francis of Paola, thanks to the privilege granted by Pope Gregory XVI, was the first church in Naples to have an inverted altar.