SANSEVERO CHAPEL MUSEUM

The Sansevero Chapel Museum, in the historic heart of Naples, is a jewel of the world’s artistic heritage. Here, Baroque creativity, dynastic pride, beauty and mystery blend to create a unique, almost timeless atmosphere. With masterpieces such as the famous Veiled Christ, renowned the world over for the remarkable tissue-like quality of the marble, feats of virtuosity such as Disillusion, and enigmatic creations such as the Anatomical Machines, the Sansevero Chapel is one of the most impressive monuments ever conceived by the human mind.

A noble mausoleum and a temple of initiation, it admirably reflects the multi-faceted personality of its ingenious architect, Raimondo di Sangro, seventh Prince of Sansevero.

THE VEILED CHRIST

Placed at the centre of the nave of the Sansevero Chapel, the Veiled Christ is one of the most famous and impressive works of art in the world. It was the Prince’s wish that the statue be made by Antonio Corradini, who had already created Modesty for him. However, Corradini died in 1752 and only managed to make a terracotta scale model of the Christ, which is now preserved in the Museo di San Martino.

Raimondo di Sangro therefore appointed a young Neapolitan artist, Giuseppe Sanmartino, to make “a life-sized marble statue representing Our Lord Jesus Christ dead, and covered in a transparent shroud carved from the same block as the statue”.

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