Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata

At the site of Salerno's medieval Portacatena, the Church of the Santissima Annunziata is distinguished by a tall bell tower designed by Ferdinando Sanfelice and a brightly tiled dome. The church's history includes royal patronage, hospital service, flooding and rebuilding.

Why it matters

The church stands where one of the old entrances to Salerno once guarded the city. Together with Arechi Castle and Porta Nova, it marks a triangle that helps define the outline of the historic centre. Its campanile is a signature of the old town's skyline.

What to notice

The four-tiered bell tower has a cusped pinnacle and volutes; its design is preserved in a drawing at the Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe of the Capodimonte museum. The dome over the presbytery is covered in maiolica tiles. Inside, a single nave leads to a domed presbytery. The Baroque high altar was made by Filippo and Giovanni Ragozzino with Matteo Bottigliero. In the sacristy, inlaid woodwork dated 1712 is signed by carpenter Saviotto; the wooden organ dates to 1880.

Context and history

Royal donations from Margaret of Durazzo in 1404 and 1412 document the church's medieval roots. Its clergy later assisted patients at the nearby hospital of San Giovanni di Dio. A fifteenth-century predecessor was destroyed by flooding, and the current church was built on its ruins in 1627. It was restructured in the mid-19th century. The flood of October 1954 buried the church under mud and debris; a three-year restoration rebuilt its interior.