Certosa of San Martino

The Certosa of San Martino was founded in 1325 by Carlo d’Angiò, Duke of Calabria, on the summit of the hill called Vomero which dominates the entire gulf of Naples. It was inaugurated in 1368 under the rule of Queen Joan I and then dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours.
Certosa means Carthusian or Charterhouse from the French “chartrouse”, after Chatrousse, the village in Dauphiné France not far from where the order was founded.
A former monastery, and now a museum, this spectacular complex, was built by Tino di Camaino and Attanasio Primario.
Between the end of the 1500’s and the beginning of the 1700’s, it went through some radical renovations done by three well known architects of the time; Giovani Antonio Dosio (1581) Cosimo Fanzago (1623) and Nicola Tagliacozzi Canale (1723).
At the turn of the 19th century, the monastery was abandoned by the religious order after they were accused of sympathizing with the republicans and closed.
Some years later, in 1866, it took on its new function as a museum which consequently brought on other modifications of the original monastery that carried on up to and beyond the 1900’s.
The museum of the Certosa that we see today houses numerous displays which bear witness to the history of Naples and the Certosa offering those who visit it spectacular views from its belvederes, loggias and gardens.
Throughout the years the museum of the Certosa has been enriched with artistic treasures that include marbles and stuccoes, frescoes and paintings, sculptures and precious furnishings.
A display of Spanish and Bourbon era artifacts including the noted “presepe” or Nativity Scene, considered to be among the finest of its kind in the world can be found there.