info@hotelolimpico.it
Hotel
Olimpico
Litoranea
di Pontecagnano Salerno (Italy)
Tel: +39 089 203004 Fax: +39 089 203458
Amalfi Coast, Positano, Sorrento, Naples, Pompeii, Paestum, Capri, Ischia, Salerno, Ravello, Herculaneum, Mt. Vesuvius, Maiori, Minori, Vietri sul Mare, Furore
Church of Santa Chiara
Santa
Chiara was ordered by Sancia of Mayorca, wife of King Robert of Anjou, and built
between 1310 and 1328 by Gagliardo Primario in the gothic-provencal style, with
strong local influence. The use of yellow sandstone and piperno greystone lava
is typically Neapolitan. The only decorative elements of the facade are the
central rose window and the surround of the main entrance. The interior is a
single hall with side chapels carved out of the central nave. Nothing remains of
the rebuilding work done in the eighteenth century which brought the trim up to
date with the Baroque style of the day, or the decoration work that was
destroyed in the fire caused by the bombardment of August 4, 1943. The post-war
restoration work re-instated the original gothic structure. The collection of
sculptures, originally very ornate due to the fact that Santa Chiara belonged to
the Angevin court (who erected the family tomb), suffered considerable damage.
The frescoes of Giotti have also been lost. Of particular note is the burial
monument erected in honour of King Robert by Giovanni and Pacio Bertini
(1343-45), and the tomb of Duke Charles of Calabria and Marie of Valois, built
by Tino da Camaino. It is only possible to admire the remains of the "Compianto
sul Cristo deposto" (grieving over the crucified body of Christ), in the Choir
of the Clarisse, where the nuns of the order attended services. Of particular
note here are the connecting windows between the two areas, which on the church
side are protected by iron spikes intended to punish prying eyes. The fourteenth
century Chiostro Grande (belonging to the Clarisse) was restructured in the
eighteenth century rococo style, which was ordered by the Mother Superior,
Ippolita Carmignano, and carried out by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro. While the
original medieval structure of the vestibule, particularly the pointed arches,
was preserved, that of the gardens was completely transformed, with the opening
of the two crossed paths. The decoration of the Cloisters was carrried out by
Donato and Giuseppe Massa, father and son. The majolica tiles of the seats show
scenes of town and country life from the eighteenth century, whereas the
octagonal shaped tiles on the pillars show patterns of vines and wisteria, which
spiral up as far as the capital in piperno.