Artistic-monumental patrimony

            Aversa, besides to present an interesting urbanistic plant constituted by four city walls inserted in a small part (see the original nucleus) of the centuriation of the ager campanus, born of a rigid topographical arrangement, numbers an artistic patrimony of great importance.

            To the prenorman period, the Abbey of San Lorenzo (IX sec.), the ancient Chapel of San Paolo, later embedded, in the first half of the XI sec., in the new church, perhaps by Rainulfo, and the Castle of the Borgo are imputable. Of the borgo Savignano the Chapel of San Giovanni Battista.

            The religious housing following the romanic-norman period is among the most interesting for the countless quantity of buildings; it numbers the Cathedral Church of San Paolo and those of Santa Maria a Piazza, Sant'Audeno, San Nicola, San Giovanni Evangelista, Sant'Andrea, Sant'Antonino and Santa Marta, besides the presence of the important female Convent of San Biagio (half XI sec.), the Chiesa e Monastero di San Francesco. Of all these for the fires, the earthquakes and the metamorphoses that adjusted to the new release, little is left. The civil ones: the nobiliar Seggi of Sant'Antonio, Sant'Andrea and San Luigi (the only left); the Castello Normanno, perhaps that of the second city walls where the Conservatory of San Gennaro will rise, the Castle of Ruggiero II, built with the third city walls after the fire of the city. To these we must add the Torre or Castello of Savignano, primeval burgh in the South-East of the city. For the construction of such buildings tuff material withdrawn from the subsoil and material of bare from the ancient city of Atella, Literno and Cuma; of this some finds in the streets of the historic center can be seen.

            The Chiesa di San Ludovico, that of Chiesa e Monastero dei Celestini, the Chiesa e Monastero della S.S. Annunziata, the Curch of the Madonna dei Lastroni and the Chiesa e l'Ospedale di Sant'Eligio are attributed tothe Angioini and duratian periods. The Angioino Castle and the arrangement of the doors that were taken to two are of civil architecture: Porta San Nicola, San Giovanni, San Biagio in the place of Porta Santa Maria, Intoreglia, Capua, the Castle, Sant'Andrea, the Market and Porta Nuova. Of thes Porta San Giovanni remains only currently.

            From the XV to the XVIII sec. the Church and the Cloister of the Cappuccinelle, the Chiesetta of Santa Maria of the Popolo were erected, the Church of Casaluce, the vanvitellian Chiesa di Sant'Agostino dei Calzi, the Concezione adjacent Porta San Nicola, Santa Maria of Ogni Grazia (Carminiello), the Church of San Gennaro and the widening of the Castello of Ruggiero were reformatted. The Chiesa by Ragozzini of San Domenico and that of the Carmine were further restaurated.

            In the borbonico period many conventual structures changed destination: the Convent of the Maddalena, ancien Hospitium Lebrosorum, became Asylum (1813); the Convent of the Celestini was transformed in Orfanotrofio, became an Orphanage, that of San Lorenzo received, in 1807, a College of young girls and afterward the Technical School with Orfanatrofio. Currently part of the convent is a venue of the Faculty of Architecture of the II° University of Naples. The Convent of San Domenico entertained the Elementary Schools, the Library and the Town Archive after being, from 1869, destined as Home Town. The Convento dell'Annunziata, after greeting the Civic Hospital, recently has been used as a venue of the Faculty of Engineering of the II° University of Naples.
           In Addition it needs to add the beautiful Palace of the
Seminario made build by Cardinal Innico Caracciolo by the Roman Architect Carlo Beratti, who re-proposed berninian styles from Palazzo Barberini. The Seminar entertains some Istituti scolastici, the Archivio Capitolare, the Biblioteca and the Pinacoteca diocesana.



The above said monuments are liable to recall singularly, those in boldfaced are certified in the GUIDA DI AVERSA, ed. 1997, by Aldo Cecere. For any other information consult the above said Guide.
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