Napoli: spaccanapoli

At the west end of the ancient decumanus of Spaccanapoli there is Piazza del Gesù (Jesus' Square), rich of history and monuments. Here had been the Royal Gate built by the Angevins and here is the Gothic Church of Santa Chiara with adjacent monastery, founded in 1310 by King Robert of Anjou, decorated by Giotto and celebrated by Petrarch. 

Very important for the Neapolitan style of decoration is the Cloister of Santa Chiara, inside the Convent of Clarisse nuns behind the Church. It was restructured by the Neapolitan architect Vaccaro around 1750 and from the original Gothic structure it conserves only the pointed arches of the cloister, while the octagonal pilasters and the stone benches of the internal open space were covered by majolica representing rural and allegorical subjects. 

The Church of Gesù Nuovo (New Jesus), which gives the name to the square, was early a private palace owned by the noble family Sanseverino, Princes of Salerno, who lost the Viceroy's favours for the antispanish positions taken by Prince Ferrante, who was exiled. Their palace was confiscated and transfered to the Jesuits. The main facade is done with ashlar and it is the original one of the palace, while the interiors was reconstructed in Baroque forms, with an important and wealthy decoration of paintings and sculptures.