Capece Minutolo Chapel

A corner of the Middle Ages in the Cathedral.

The Cathedral of Naples is without doubt the most important monument among the many religious building projects undertaken in Naples and throughout the Kingdom under Charles II of Anjou. From the outset, the project provided for the establishment of a private royal chapel. In particular, the Minutolo chapel occupies the space which, from the fifth century, belonged to the chapel of San Pietro. A long-established opinion, though lacking archaeological evidence, holds that the chapel of Archbishop Filippo Minutolo was set against the shrine originally dedicated to the apostle regarded as the first Pope. The earliest information on the Minutolo chapel, placed at the right-hand corner of the presbytery, dates from 1301, the year of the execution, on the right wall, of the tomb of Filippo; towards the middle of the same century, the sarcophagus of Orso Minutolo would in turn be realised on the left wall. During this period the chapel continued to be dedicated to San Pietro. However, it was not until 1402, with Archbishop Enrico Minutolo, that the patronage of the chapel was entrusted to the Capece Minutolo family, who still hold it today, as recalled by the Gothic-Latin marble inscription on the floor preceding its entrance. The latter sought and obtained permission to enlarge the space of the chapel with the construction of the tribune, where his own funerary monument would later be erected in 1405. The interior is predominantly Gothic in style, albeit with a forward-looking turn towards new manners, evident above all in certain details of the funerary monuments. The chapel is rectangular in shape and divided into three bays with cross vaults, the last of which, forming the tribune, was created between 1387 and 1412 at the wish of Filippo Minutolo to house his funerary monument. To the phase linked to Filippo’s presence on the episcopal seat (1288-1301) certainly date the floor and the fragmentary cycle of wall paintings with figures of Apostles and Prophets, Stories of Martyrs, the Crucifixion and several Clipei with figures of Saints, probably the work of Montano d'Arezzo, active in the city and in the Kingdom from the end of the thirteenth century, and the first significant example of the spread to the South of the new language forged by Cimabue in the worksite of the Franciscan Basilica of Assisi.

The Capece Minutolo Chapel is one of the most evocative and ancient spaces in the Cathedral, Gothic in layout with interventions dating back to the fourteenth century, a corner of the Middle Ages in the heart of the city. It preserves funerary monuments of extraordinary value, fourteenth-century frescoes attributed to Montano d'Arezzo and a fine Cosmatesque floor.

The works, begun at the end of 2020, have focused on stabilising the deteriorated surfaces, consolidating certain decorative elements and containing the progress of the decay under way, with particular attention to the lateral tombs of Orso and Filippo Minutolo, to the flooring, to the lower register of the wall decorations, and to the realisation of the lighting design.

The restoration of the Capece Minutolo Chapel has been carried out by L'Officina Restauro, with the scientific advice of Prof. Francesco Esposito and the assistance of the firm Del Core Restyling. The diagnostic investigations were conducted by M.I.D.A. Metodologie d'Indagine per la Diagnostica Artistica of Claudio Falcucci. The lighting design was realised by the architect Adriano Caputo, author of the luminous narration of the space.