Certosa di San Martino

The Certosa di San Martino ("Charterhouse of St. Martin") is a former monastery complex, now a museum, in Naples, southern Italy. Along with Castel Sant'Elmo that stands beside it, this is the most visible landmark of the city, perched atop the Vomero hill that commands the gulf. A Carthusian monastery, it was finished and inaugurated under the rule of Queen Joan I in 1368. It was dedicated to St. Martin of Tours. During the first half of the 16th century it was expanded. Later, in 1623, it was further expanded and became, under the direction of architect Cosimo Fanzago,[1] essentially the structure one sees today.

The San Martino museum in Naples with Sant'Elmo fortress visible behind it.
The major cloister
Interior of the main church
Hanging gardens
The underground of the Charterhouse

In the early 19th century, under French rule the monastery was closed and was abandoned by the religious order. Today, the buildings house the National Museum of San Martino with a display of Spanish and Bourbon era artifacts, as well as displays of the presepe—Nativity scene—considered to be among the finest in the world.

References
  1. Acton, Harold (1957). The Bourbons of Naples (1731-1825). London: Faber and Faber. p. 5. ISBN 9780571249015.


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