Castello
Museo
Castel Nuovo, also known as Maschio Angioino, is located in Piazza Municipio and is one of the symbols of Naples.
Construction began in 1279 at the behest of Charles I of Anjou, who considered the existing royal residences, Castel dell'Ovo and Castel Capuano, to be geographically inadequate. According to the sources, the Angevin building had an irregular quadrilateral plan, four high, thin curtains, square towers separated by an archway and a moat, crossed on the north side by a drawbridge leading to the entrance.
After the conquest of the city in 1442, Alfonso d'Aragona, driven by the need to make a blatant manifestation of the new political order, gave the castle a new look, modifying the entrance gate with a typical Romanesque architectural structure, the triumphal arch.
The central element of the work, which can still be seen today, is the large relief depicting the triumph of Alfonso.
On a chariot drawn by a quadriga, in front of which is a figure with classical features representing Victory or Fortune, sits the sovereign, depicted holding the globe and with a large flame at his feet, reminiscent of the mythical burning chair of Hercules, which was only extinguished in the presence of the hero. A group of musicians leads the procession, playing traditional classical instruments such as cymbals, tubas and small cymbals to announce the arrival of the king.
These sculptures are attributed to four important artists of the period: Pietro de Martino, Domenico Gagini, Isaia da Pisa and Francesco Laurana.
Alfonso was succeeded by his son Ferrante, who had a large bronze door made to symbolise his arduous conquest of the kingdom after suppressing the rebellion of the barons.
With the defeat of Frederick I in 1503, the Kingdom of Naples became a Spanish Viceroyalty and the Castle became the seat of the most important public ceremonies related to royal power. At this time, an enclosure was built around the moat.
From the middle of the 16th century, Castel Nuovo gradually lost its importance. Military events were held there, while governmental ceremonies were held in the royal palaces and their outdoor areas. A drawbridge was built to connect it to the Royal Palace, creating a direct link between the seat of military and political power.
With the establishment of the Bourbon dynasty in 1734, the trend of improving the other infrastructures around the castle to the detriment of the latter was confirmed. The only major alteration was made to the enclosure, with the addition of a semi-bastion on the curtain wall between the bastions of Santo Spirito and San Vincenzo. In the first decades of the 19th century, it continued to be a large military establishment within which war production facilities were built.
Following the loss of its defensive role, the filling of the outer moat and the beginning of the demolition of the rampart enclosure, the surrounding square began to take on its current configuration.
The restoration and archaeological excavation work carried out from 1923 to 1939 brought the original core back to light, eliminating the buildings erected between the 17th and 19th centuries behind the castle. Since 1990 it has housed the Civic Museum, which includes the Palatine Chapel, the Armoury Room and, on the first two floors, sculptures, objects and paintings ranging from the Middle Ages to the late 19th century.
Indirizzo
Via Vittorio Emanuele III – 80133 Napoli (Napoli)
Orari
Dal Lunedi al Sabato, 8.30-18.30
Chiusura settimanale
Chiuso Domenica
Informazioni
Tel: 0817957722
https://www.comune.napoli.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/EN/IDPagina/1372