After 50 years it shines again the Church of San Gennaro al Real Bosco di Capodimonte. Redecorated by architect Santiago Calatrava, it was reopened to the public in an official ceremony. The Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini, the Director of the Museum and Real Bosco di Capodimonte Sylvain Bellenger, the President of the Campania Region Vincenzo De Luca, the Prefect of Naples Marco Valentini, the ambassador of Spain in Italy Alfonso Maria Dastis Quecedo and the Consul Carlos Maldonado.
Church of San Gennaro, Calatrava's choice
The baroque jewel was built in 1745 by the architect and scenographer Ferdinando Sanfelice. The work was commissioned by Charles of Bourbon. With the intervention of Calatrava the space of the eighteenth-century chapel is completely reinterpreted. From the windows to the ceiling, up to the niches, porcelain designs and installations are inspired by the values of the Real Bosco di Capodimonte. The artifacts are made below the direction of Calatrava. The entire project on the Church and every single drawing and artifact are donated by Santiago Calatrava to the Museum and Real Bosco di Capodimonte. The latter will enrich his collections. Visitors will also be accompanied by the typical melody of the organ and the bells, also restored for the occasion. This creates a hymn to the beauty of traditional local craftsmanship.
The inauguration with the Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini
The Minister of Culture also attended the inauguration Dario Franceschini. These are his words: “The restoration of the Church of San Gennaro is an extraordinary experiment. It mixes contemporary and baroque art in an unprecedented way. For a long time we felt that it was not possible to include contemporary art in the Italian historical cultural heritage. I thank the architect Calatrava for this beautiful gift and the quality of the works. They have made our country richer and more beautiful. This experience will have to show us the way ".
The work is part of the great exhibition "Santiago Calatrava. In the light of Napoli". The exhibition is curated by the director of the Museum and Real Bosco di Capodimonte Sylvain Bellenger and Robertina Calatrava, the artist's wife, and supported by Campania region. “The light of Naples is brought together in a modern installation in an eighteenth-century setting. The walls and ceiling are painted in an intense ultramarine blue. It highlights the structural and ornamental elements of the chapel and gives it a greater sense of depth. The installation allows the creation of a global concept in which different arts (porcelain, weaving, enamelling, painting) converge in an autonomous work that speaks from the past to the present towards the future ", these are the words of Calatrava.
Photo source: capodimonte.cultura.gov.it
