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Spying a nearby church tower as we stood atop the Castel Sant’Elmo, we decided that this would be our next destination. Little did I realize at the time that it was a monastery…one of my favorite places to visit!
The Certosa e Museo di San Martino is located a short distance from the Castel Sant’Elmo and is truly a treasure of Naples. Built in 1325 and then rebuilt in the 17th century, this large monastery complex was more than we ever imagined.
As we entered the courtyard, we discovered the church that we spied from Castel Sant’Elmo. This baroque sanctuary is a masterpiece decorated with a stunning marble floor, various paintings by Jusepe de Ribera, sculptures by Guiseppe Sanmartino and frescoes by Battistello Caracciolo. At the presbytery, there is an intricate marble lattice, decorated with precious stones and altar made of the same materials. Be sure to take a look up at the ceilings which are richly decorated with frescoes.
As we continued our exploration, we came to the peaceful Grand Cloister (Chiostro Grande) which contains a monk’s graveyard in one corner. This graveyard was quite fascinating with it skull topped enclosure and provided us with some great photo ops.
The Quarto del Priore, which is the apartment used for the reception of important guests, contains some relevant masterpieces including a Madonna col Bambino e San Giovannino by Pietro Bernini.
Surprisingly, we discovered that the monastery houses the Museo Nazional di San Martino which offers a look a many collections. One of my passions is collecting nativity scenes from around the world. Here, the museum showcases their extensive collection, some extremely rare, dating back to the 1800’s.
In another part of the monastery, there are many precious objects, including paintings and bronze sculptures by Neapolitan artists of the 19th century. My favorite part of the exhibit, however, was The Sezione Navale, or Maritime Museum, where many model ships and ship’s instruments were on display. The most appealing was the full-sized Great Barge, used by King Charles of Bourbon in the 1700’s. Other areas offer displays showcasing sculpture and epigraphy and a library on the second floor dedicated to the Prints and Drawings Collections with over 8,000 pieces.
A short walk through the garden was also in order, which offered an overlook to the city. It was a bit overgrown and unkempt leading us to return to the cloistered areas to enjoy the outdoors.
Though this was not the original monastery I had hoped to visit, that being Monastero di Santa Chiara, Certosa e Museo di San Martino was close by and surpassed my expectations.
If anyone is visiting Naples and making the ascent to the Castel Sant’Elmo, save time for a visit to this amazing monastery next door!
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Certosa e Museo di San Martino
- http://www.polomusealecampania.beniculturali.it/index.php/certosa-e-museo
- Address: Largo S. Martino, 5, 80129 Napoli NA, Italy
- Hours: 0830-1830, Monday to Saturday. 0830-1600, Sunday. Closed Wednesday.
- Admission: Full, 6,00€, Reduced, 3,00€
- Getting There: Metro, Vanvitelli and then bus V1 to Piazzale San Martino. Bus: C28, C31, or C36 to Piazza Vanvitelli. Funicular: Centrale to Piazza Fuga or Montesanto to Morghen