SPACCANAPOLI, Gesù Nuovo

Here in Piazza del Gesù Nuovo you've likely already noticed the 15th-century façade of the Church of Gesù Nuovo with its characteristic wall built in a diamond shape. Along with the neighboring Casa Professa dei Padri Gesuiti and the Palazzo delle Congregazioni that I mentioned in the previous file, this church was part of a complex of sacred buildings managed by the Society of Jesus. If this façade seems unusual to you, that's because it once belonged to a noble palace, the Palazzo di Sanseverino: the church took its place at the end of the 16th century.

You'll definitely be surprised by the magnificence and decorative richness of its interior: marbles, stuccoes, frescoes, and decorations of all kinds make it one of the collective masterpieces of the Neapolitan 17th century.

Now enter the single, large central area of the church the side chapels open from, then take a few steps forward and turn around: you're looking at the spectacular eighteenth-century fresco covering the entire wall of the inner façade. This fresco is a masterpiece by Francesco Solimena, and depicts The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple of Jerusalem....