The churches not to miss in the historic centre of Naples

They say Naples has more churches than days in the year, and walking through the historic centre it is easy to believe: behind any doorway there might be a majolica-tiled cloister, a Caravaggio masterpiece or a sculpture that seems to breathe. In this guide you will find the churches not to miss, all within walking distance of Phaedra House, with a few tips for visiting them at a relaxed pace.

Before you go: a few tips

• Clothing: covered shoulders and knees are always appreciated, and in some churches they are required.
• Religious services: during Mass sightseeing stops; enter quietly or come back later.
• Tickets and opening hours: many churches are free, while museums, cloisters and chapels often charge admission. Times and arrangements change: check the official website before you go.
• Photos: photography is forbidden in some places (for example in the Sansevero Chapel). Please follow the signs.

The Cathedral and the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro

[foto da caricare] The façade of Naples Cathedral

The Duomo, dedicated to the Assumption, is the cathedral of Naples and stands on Via Duomo, a few minutes from the apartment. Behind its neo-Gothic façade lies a story many centuries long: from inside you can reach the basilica of Santa Restituta, the oldest early Christian church in the city, and the baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte, with some of the oldest mosaics in the Western world.

The heart of Neapolitan devotion is the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro, rich in marble, silver and Baroque frescoes. It holds the phials with the blood of the city's patron saint, which according to tradition liquefies three times a year: on the Saturday before the first Sunday of May, on 19 September and on 16 December. On those days the city fills with the faithful and the curious. The Treasure itself, jewels and precious objects donated to the saint, can be seen in the Museum of the Treasure of San Gennaro, next to the Cathedral.

San Lorenzo Maggiore

In Piazza San Gaetano, on Via dei Tribunali, San Lorenzo Maggiore is one of the great examples of Gothic architecture in Naples, with a bright, essential apse. The complex is also special because of what lies beneath it: the archaeological excavations reveal streets and shops of the Greek and Roman city, including the market of Neapolis. You literally walk through history, a few metres below today's street level. To discover more about what lies underground, read our guide to Underground Naples.

The Pio Monte della Misericordia and Caravaggio

A few steps from the Cathedral, on Via dei Tribunali, the Pio Monte della Misericordia keeps Caravaggio's Seven Works of Mercy on its high altar, painted in Naples at the beginning of the 17th century. Seeing it in the place it was created for, rather than in a museum, is a rare thrill: light, shadow and characters taken from the Neapolitan streets of the time.

The Sansevero Chapel and the Veiled Christ

[foto da caricare] A detail of a Baroque marble sculpture

Hidden in an alley between Spaccanapoli and Via dei Tribunali, the Sansevero Chapel is one of the most famous places in Naples. At its centre is the Veiled Christ by Giuseppe Sanmartino: a marble veil so thin that you feel you could lift it. Around it are other extraordinary sculptures commissioned by Prince Raimondo di Sangro, a fascinating and mysterious figure of 18th-century Naples. It is a very popular visit: it is best to book in advance on the official website.

Santa Chiara and the majolica cloister

On Spaccanapoli, next to Piazza del Gesù, the Santa Chiara complex combines a large Gothic church, rebuilt after the bombings of 1943, with one of the most beautiful places in the city: the majolica cloister. Its pillars and benches are covered with colourful 18th-century majolica tiles showing scenes of daily life, landscapes and vines, among citrus trees. It is the ideal place for a moment of silence in the heart of the historic centre.

The Gesù Nuovo

Right opposite Santa Chiara, the church of the Gesù Nuovo surprises you from the outside: its diamond-point ashlar façade belonged to a 15th-century noble palace, later turned into a church by the Jesuits. Inside, the atmosphere changes completely: polychrome marble, frescoes and Baroque chapels. Saint Giuseppe Moscati, the doctor saint of Naples, is greatly venerated here.

More churches to discover along the decumani

If you still have time, the historic centre has many more surprises a few steps from each other:

• San Domenico Maggiore: on the square of the same name, a large Gothic church linked to the history of the Aragonese and to Saint Thomas Aquinas, who taught here.
• San Paolo Maggiore: in Piazza San Gaetano; in front of the façade you can still see two columns of the Temple of the Dioscuri, the Roman temple that once stood here.
• The Girolamini: on Via dei Tribunali, a large complex with a Baroque church, a cloister and a picture gallery; its historic library is one of the oldest in Naples.
• Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco: also on Via dei Tribunali, recognisable by the bronze skulls at the entrance. Beneath the church is a hypogeum linked to the popular cult of the anime pezzentelle, the abandoned souls to whom Neapolitans brought prayers and small gifts.

Each church has different opening days and times: check the official website or ask on site.

A walking route through the churches

An idea for half a day, all on foot: start at the Cathedral, continue along Via dei Tribunali with the Pio Monte della Misericordia and San Lorenzo Maggiore, walk down San Gregorio Armeno towards the Sansevero Chapel and finish on Spaccanapoli with Santa Chiara and the Gesù Nuovo. Along the way you will also pass the street of nativity scenes: we describe it in our guide to Spaccanapoli and San Gregorio Armeno. If you want to combine churches and museums, you will find ideas in our guide to the must-see museums of Naples.

Sleeping among the churches of the historic centre

Phaedra House is in Piazzetta Sant'Arcangelo a Baiano, a few minutes' walk from the Cathedral: you can visit the churches early in the morning, when there are fewer people, and come back to rest between visits. Discover the apartment and see where we are.

For more ideas, browse the Churches and sacred places section of our guide.