Tucked into the lanes of Naples’ historic centre, the Sansevero Chapel Museum is a small Baroque chapel filled with extraordinarily intricate sculpture. Originally a family chapel founded in the late 16th century, it took its present form under Raimondo di Sangro, Prince of Sansevero, an 18th-century nobleman and inventor whose interests in art and science helped shape the collection.
The centrepiece is Giuseppe Sanmartino’s Veiled Christ, carved in 1753: a marble figure beneath a shroud so delicate it seems almost translucent. Antonio Corradini’s Modesty and Francesco Queirolo’s Release from Deception are equally striking demonstrations of sculptural skill, the latter depicting a figure struggling free of a finely carved net. Below the chapel, two skeletons fitted with elaborate models of blood vessels, known as the anatomical machines, add to the intrigue and the legends surrounding the prince.
Book tickets online in advance, particularly in high season, and check current opening days before visiting. Photography is not permitted inside, so take time to study the sculptures without a camera. Allow about an hour, then explore the surrounding old quarter: Piazza San Domenico Maggiore and Via San Gregorio Armeno are both within easy walking distance.