Basilica di San Lorenzo Maggiore, Naples

San Lorenzo Maggiore is a church and monastery, and beneath it lies the excavated ancient market of Naples. The complex also houses a museum tracing the story of this area, from classical archaeology through the Angevin period and into more recent history. Its origins reach back to the Franciscan presence in Naples, with construction authorized in 1235 and rebuilding supported by Charles I of Anjou from 1270.

The church is an example of Italian Gothic architecture, while its apse reflects French Gothic work. Look at the entrance: the Gothic portal still carries its original wooden doors from the fourteenth century, each formed from forty-eight panels. Inside, the long nave opens onto sixteen side chapels.

The Cacace Chapel brings a vivid Baroque contrast, designed by Cosimo Fanzago and enriched with sculptures by Andrea di Bolgi, a sculptor from Bernini’s Roman studio. Massimo Stanzione painted its altarpiece, while Niccolò de Simone decorated the vault. This place also carries a literary encounter: Boccaccio met his beloved Fiammetta here in 1338.