Archivio di Stato di Napoli

The Naples State Archives were established as the 'General Archives of the Kingdom' on 22 December 1808 with the objective of uniting in a single location the historical archives of the institutions that existed prior to the arrival of Joseph Bonaparte in Naples in 1806.

The archives of the Royal Chamber of the Sommaria were also relocated to the new facility. These archives included the volumes of the 'onciari' land registers, which pertained to all the municipalities within the kingdom. Additionally, the archives of the Chancellery, the Secretariats of State from the viceregal period, the supreme advisory bodies of the State (Collateral Council, Royal Chamber of St. Clare), the Chaplain Major, and the highest judicial bodies of the State (Sacred Royal Council, Grand Court of the Vicarage) were also transferred. Furthermore, the archives of numerous other State bodies were also relocated.

Following the Bourbon Restoration of 1815, the name was altered to 'Great Archives of the Kingdom'. Furthermore, the fundamental principle was established that not only the papers of the outgoing administrations, but also those of the current administrations, should be deposited at the archives on a periodic basis. From 1860 onwards, the archive witnessed a notable expansion of its documentary holdings, largely attributable to the acquisition of the records of the Bourbon ministries and other central bodies, including the Consulta di Stato and the Gran Corte dei Conti.

The first floor of the Monastery of Saints Severinus and Sossio constitutes the museum area of the Naples State Archives. The heart of the Institute's activities, including the main study room, the Inventory Room and the Reception Room, is located here. It was also the centre of the community for the monks. The monastery's architectural features included four splendid cloisters, which punctuated the rhythms of daily life. The Chapter House, frescoed by Belisario Corenzio in the early 17th century with a complex Christological cycle, served as the site for debate and confrontation. The large Refectory, evocative and imposing, represented the heart of the daily life of the monastic community.
The site is characterised by the coexistence of various historical periods and functions, including a monastery, an archive from the 19th century, and a modern cultural institute. A visit to the Naples State Archives is currently limited to the rooms on the first floor. In contrast, the virtual tour provides access to the 'Secret Archive', which comprises areas that are typically inaccessible due to their occupation by offices or the repositories of papers. Despite their intended function, these spaces conceal significant artistic and archival treasures.

The third floor houses a collection of artefacts from the Roman era, including precision instruments from the 19th century, as well as the oldest surviving document from the Archive, the Lapidary Map. This exemplifies the unique coexistence of documents and monuments that characterise the monastic complex of Saints Severinus and Sossios. The fourth floor of the Institute is home to a series of monumental rooms dedicated to the preservation of documents, some of which were constructed during the first half of the nineteenth century. The rooms, which are not included in the usual itineraries of visits to the Institute, are presented both for the importance of the documentary holdings they contain and for the interesting and varied solutions of archival shelving, which are worthy of note.