Merisi da Caravaggio came to Naples, Italy in 1606. He had been living in Rome, but fled after killing a young man. While there, Caravaggio was known for his brawling, frequenting prostitutes, and his love for young boys. Still, a well-known and talented artist, the Colonna Family protected him and in the same year he came to Naples, he painted "The Seven Acts of Mercy."
A few months later, he left for Malta where he found wealthy patrons in the Knights of Malta, but he was soon arrested and imprisoned for another brawl that left a knight seriously wounded. Caravaggio escaped to Sicily where he received more well-paid commissions while displaying strange behaviors such as sleeping fully armed in his clothes. After nine months, he returned to Naples to ask the Colonna family to protect him once more while he waited for a pardon from the Pope. He then painted The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula, his last picture.
Today, at least three important Caravaggio paintings are on display in Naples. Seeing them can make for a charming day-trip through the city:
Built by Cosimo Fanzago during the seventeenth century, the Galleria di Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano (Via Toledo 185) houses Caravaggio's Martyrdom of Saint Ursula. Bought by the Banca Commerciale Italiana in 1920, the building also has a stunning courtyard with a glass roof and balconies.
Caravaggio's "The Seven Acts of Mercy" is located at Pio Monte della Misericordia (Via Tribunali 253). This small church was once a charitable organization. Today, it has been replaced by the Missionarie della Carita on Vico Dei Panettieri, which provides showers and food to the homeless.
The di Franco family commissioned Caravaggio to paint "The Flagellation of Christ" in 1607. Connected to the Confraternity of the Pio Monte della Misericordia, the family originally wanted the work to be displayed in the San Domenico Maggiore church in the heart of Spaccanapoli. Today, the work is housed at the Capodimonte museum on Via Miano 2.
In 1610, Caravaggio took a boat from Naples to Rome in order to receive the Pope's pardon, which would be granted thanks to his powerful friends. But he never made it, apparently dying of a fever during the journey. Speculation continues about lead poisoning - which might explain Caravaggio's uncontrollable violence. Only in 2010 did researchers exhume certain remains found in a church in Porto Ercole, Tuscany, and, subjecting them to DNA and carbon dating analysis, they concluded that the remains were almost certainly those of Caravaggio.
A few months later, he left for Malta where he found wealthy patrons in the Knights of Malta, but he was soon arrested and imprisoned for another brawl that left a knight seriously wounded. Caravaggio escaped to Sicily where he received more well-paid commissions while displaying strange behaviors such as sleeping fully armed in his clothes. After nine months, he returned to Naples to ask the Colonna family to protect him once more while he waited for a pardon from the Pope. He then painted The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula, his last picture.
Today, at least three important Caravaggio paintings are on display in Naples. Seeing them can make for a charming day-trip through the city:
Built by Cosimo Fanzago during the seventeenth century, the Galleria di Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano (Via Toledo 185) houses Caravaggio's Martyrdom of Saint Ursula. Bought by the Banca Commerciale Italiana in 1920, the building also has a stunning courtyard with a glass roof and balconies.
Caravaggio's "The Seven Acts of Mercy" is located at Pio Monte della Misericordia (Via Tribunali 253). This small church was once a charitable organization. Today, it has been replaced by the Missionarie della Carita on Vico Dei Panettieri, which provides showers and food to the homeless.
The di Franco family commissioned Caravaggio to paint "The Flagellation of Christ" in 1607. Connected to the Confraternity of the Pio Monte della Misericordia, the family originally wanted the work to be displayed in the San Domenico Maggiore church in the heart of Spaccanapoli. Today, the work is housed at the Capodimonte museum on Via Miano 2.
In 1610, Caravaggio took a boat from Naples to Rome in order to receive the Pope's pardon, which would be granted thanks to his powerful friends. But he never made it, apparently dying of a fever during the journey. Speculation continues about lead poisoning - which might explain Caravaggio's uncontrollable violence. Only in 2010 did researchers exhume certain remains found in a church in Porto Ercole, Tuscany, and, subjecting them to DNA and carbon dating analysis, they concluded that the remains were almost certainly those of Caravaggio.
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