Complex of Spirito Santo

by Andrea Maglio

The current state of the Complex of Spirito Santo (Holy Spirit) presents an evident duality due to the coexistence of the ancient structures connected to the church of the same name and the more recent ones, built in the mid-20th century.
However, even the new fabrics still include monumental elements of the disappeared building, serving as memories and testimonies of the rich and long history of the site.
The origin of the entire complex is linked to the Confraternity of the Holy Spirit, created in the 16th century, which was responsible for the foundation of the church.
Two other confraternities, known as the Whites and the Greens because of the colour of their garments, were in charge of two girls’ schools, one of which cared for poor girls, and the other for the daughters of prostitutes (De Fusco 2002).
In the 16th century, the Banco dello Spirito Santo was established, following the example of similar charitable institutions already present in the city – the most famous of which remains the Monte dei Pegni (Pawnshop) – which gradually transformed into embryonic banking institutions.
The various Neapolitan banks accumulated significant resources, sometimes used by the rulers to finance wars or public works.
After a series of events, following the unification of Italy, the Banco dello Spirito Santo was merged with other institutions to form the Banco di Napoli, which occupied the Complex of Spirito Santo – particularly the structures of the first courtyard when entering from via Toledo – before purchasing those in the second courtyard from the conservatory.
These structures are now occupied by the Department of Architecture after the transfer of classrooms, studios, and offices from the historic building of Palazzo Gravina, which alone was insufficient to provide for the various activities.
The radical restructuring project of the Banco’s headquarters dates back to the 1960s and was entrusted to the architect Marcello Canino, who had previously served as the dean of the Faculty of Architecture from 1943 to 1952.
A controversial professional for both his design choices and political affiliations, Canino had coordinated the exhibition complex of the Mostra d’Oltremare and played a role in Neapolitan architecture since the fascist era.
In the case of the commission for the Complex of Spirito Santo, it involved in fact a complete reconstruction after the demolition of the old Banco di Napoli building, which was considered outdated despite the historical importance of the entire complex.
Therefore, between 1966 and 1968 the block around the first courtyard was realised, while the block relating to the second courtyard was built between 1969 and 1972.
The need to maximise the use of internal spaces without exceeding the height of the building led to the curious decision to create six floors in the buildings facing the courtyard and seven floors in the one along via Pignatelli.
The building in via Toledo, however, maintained five floors to remain consistent with the street façade (De Fusco 2004, 257).
To this end, the monumental portal was preserved, through which the gaze extends until resting on the niche with the clock, which Canino described as ‘bizarre and tasty’, closing off the first courtyard.
Canino’s initial design was indeed quite different from what was eventually realised, as it originally included more articulated façades with prominently projecting pilasters that would harmonise the street façades with the surrounding ones, thus softening the impact of increased internal volumes.
The façades of the second courtyard had been planned to be covered in bricks, although this was not realised as they were unified with the plastered façades of the first courtyard, which were planned to have a more subdued tone precisely to draw attention to the façade with the clock (Carughi 2005).
The retreat of the fronts in via Forno Vecchio and via Pignatelli aimed to distinguish the new from the old as well as increase light and air along the very narrow streets, also improving the illumination of the interior spaces, despite creating a problematic connection with the façade in via Toledo.
One of the most critical points of the project concerned in fact the renovation of the façade in via Toledo, which involved regularising the openings and their corresponding balconies and preserving only the portal of the previous building, with a new rustication being created in the lower section as a memory of the old structure.
The destruction of ancient structures, such as the garden and the cloister in the second courtyard, should be framed within the context of the debate on interventions in city centres during the years of the economic boom, reconstruction, and even illegal construction.
There was often a selective criterion towards pre-existing structures, even by the authorities responsible for their protection, which sometimes led to questionable choices.
Canino’s building still reflects that desire for ‘cleanliness’ and ‘authentic’ modernity, achieved through a sober and deliberately unremarkable architecture.

From the volume "Passeggiando per la Federico II" (second updated edition) edited by Alessandro Castagnaro - photographs by Roberto Fellicò - FedOAPress