Basilica Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Neve

The basilica sanctuary of Santa Maria della Neve (Our Lady of the Snow) is one of the basilicas of Naples. It was the most important church of the municipality of Ponticelli before it became an integral part of the Campanian capital. It is the oldest basilica in the Vesuvian area. After the sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Arco it is also the richest in works of art.

The basilica sanctuary of Santa Maria della Neve is one of the basilicas of Naples. It was the most important church of the municipality of Ponticelli before it became an integral part of the Campanian capital.

It is the oldest basilica in the Vesuvian area. After the sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Arco it is also the richest in works of art. It stands in Piazza Vincenzo Aprea.

History

The religious structure dates back to the 13th century.

Originally, the church was a rural chapel that underwent various works of extension and embellishment over the centuries, which gave it its present appearance.

The first real intervention took place in 1520 by order of Pope Leo X; the subsequent embellishments took place between 1733 and 1788. On 29 July 1788 the Madonna della Neve was proclaimed "santissima protettrice di Ponticelli" (most holy protectress of Ponticelli).

After the unification of Italy the church underwent a major renovation under the direction of the engineer Filippo Botta.

On 27 July 1988 the sanctuary was raised to the dignity of a minor basilica.

Description

The exterior

The façade and the portal are flanked by two Ionic columns; these support the triangular pediment above. On the right side of the façade, there is a place of worship: the Arciconfraternita del Rosario (Archconfraternity of the Rosary).

The Bell Tower of the Snow

The bell tower, square in plan across three floors, features a turret with a spire entirely covered in maiolica tiles; this element is the most important evidence of the Baroque work carried out on the basilica.

The interior

The basilica, with three naves, houses numerous works of art, such as the artistic high altar in marble and the balustrade (both works by Giuseppe Bastelli). The miraculous event of the snow that fell in Rome on the night between 4 and 5 August is depicted on the arch of the main nave. Inside, one can also admire the sixteenth-century panels depicting Santi Pietro e Paolo (Saints Peter and Paul).

Also worth mentioning is the baptismal font, the nineteenth-century Messale (Missal) entirely covered in silver, and the wooden statue of the Madonna della Neve (Our Lady of the Snow), made — according to the documents — by Giovanni da Nola.

In the pendentives of the presbytery there are tempera paintings by Luigi Franciosa (1886-1946) depicting the four Evangelists (1946), replacing those completely destroyed, by the painter Luigi Tammaro, and in the apse a group of angels (L. Tammaro - L. Franciosa - C. Adamo).