Santa Chiara Monastery
Complesso Monumentale di Santa Chiara
A 14th-century Gothic monastery whose cloister, with hand-painted majolica tile benches and lemon trees, forms Naples' most beautiful courtyard.
Santa Chiara Monastery was built in the 14th century under the Angevin dynasty. It is Naples' largest Gothic religious building. The church was destroyed by bombing in World War II and rebuilt to its original form, and it houses the tombs of Angevin kings. The main highlight is the nuns' cloister. Its octagonal pillars and benches are decorated with hand-painted majolica tiles from the 18th century, depicting grapevines, pastoral scenes and everyday life, interspersed with lemon and citrus trees in bright colors. An attached museum displays Roman bath ruins and large Nativity scenes. Entry to the church is free. Admission to the cloister and museum is about €7. It is at the western end of Spaccanapoli, next to the Gesù Nuovo church with its diamond-cut facade.
Opening hours
9:30 am–5:30 pm (Sundays 10:00 am–2:30 pm)
Nearby sights
- Sansevero Chapel
- Napoli Sotterranea
- Via San Gregorio Armeno
- Naples National Archaeological Museum
- Castel Nuovo (Maschio Angioino)
- Galleria Umberto I
- Quartieri Spagnoli
- Naples Cathedral