Complex of Santa Maria di Donnaromita

by Alfredo Buccaro

The complex appears today as the result of a rich stratification, starting from the original fifteenth-century monastery built on the site of older monastic establishments located near the lower decumanus.
Referring to the view by Dupérac-Lafréry (1566), in addition to the Seat of Nido and the church of Sant'Angelo a Nilo, divided by an alley that already follows the path of the future Via Donnaromita, there are some courtyard buildings to the south that are not clearly identifiable and a building complex that flanks the Strada a Nido, today's Via Paladino.
Neither Via Orilia nor the church of Donnaromita are depicted, even though the construction of the latter had already begun in 1550, perhaps designed by Giovanni Francesco di Palma.
The original structure had a nave with five chapels on each side, reduced to four during the reconstruction of the convent at the turn of the sixteenth century.
The construction began in 1580 under the direction of Vincenzo della Monica, completing in 1590.
In the cited view, there are still four courtyard buildings that would make way for the new convent: the first two towards Sant'Angelo a Nilo seem to be where the small cloister was built; on the others, the large cloister was constructed, and a small street was opened, known as the ‘vicolo dei pidocchi’ (literally, ‘lice alley’, today Via Orilia).
In Alessandro Baratta's view (1629), the church of Donnaromita dominates the large attached cloister; the Seat and Via Donnaromita can also be identified, along with a series of buildings occupying the space between the ‘vicolo dei pidocchi’ and the high convent wall.
Around 1639, a new dormitory was built according to the design of Pietro de Marino, a student of Francesco Antonio Picchiatti, and in 1703, new cells were created on the upper floor.
A loggia with a belvedere was commissioned by the nuns to the architect Domenico Barbuto and the master builder Aniello de Marino.
The works mainly affected the southwest wing of the large cloister, during which the roofs and the wall of the enclosure facing Via Mezzocannone were also renovated.
From 1762 to 1772, further work was carried out within the monastery.
Under the direction of Giovanni del Gaizo, a new terrace with a viewpoint was built along Via del Salvatore, while on the Monteverginella convent side, two rows of windows were opened onto the street.
During the same period, some rooms were created towards the northern side following the design of Giuseppe Astarita, which were intended to be used as a parlour and refectory, as well as the new entrance on Vico Donnaromita, with an attached carriage gate, featuring a rich pediment with an inscription on the portal.
These rooms appear to have been significantly transformed, while unfortunately, the lobby has been reduced, after the sealing off of the adjacent spaces, to but only the central elliptical-shaped room, defined by walls modulated by pilasters and a bowl-shaped cupola.
The convent was closed in January 1808 but left in use for the nuns.
However, they soon reduced in number, and subsequently moved to San Gregorio Armeno in 1824, with the monastery being designated as the seat of the High Military Court, the Orphanage, and the Dress Commission.
In a note from the director of the Royal School of Engineering in Naples, Fortunato Padula, addressed to the mayor of Naples on 12 January 1865, it is mentioned that following the decree of 30 July 1863, which reformed the Murattian School, the ancient Complex of Donnaromita was to become the headquarters of that institution.
A renovation project had been prepared by the engineer of the Genio (Civil Engineering Corps), Federico Travaglini.
The works, financed by the University, were approved by the Superior Council of Public Works, and were almost completely finished by 1864.
However, while the classrooms for lessons and the spaces for chemistry and applied mathematics experiments, as well as the rooms for collections, could be considered completed, there was still a sense of urgency to renovate the façade in Via Paladino, where the 16th-century entrance of the convent was located.
The floor plans of the School of Engineering, published by the new director Ambrogio Mendia in 1884, on numerous levels and the executed façade prove to be very useful not only because they offer a record of the state of the site following the post-unification works, but also as they clearly show the articulation of some parts of the old monastery layout.
In and around 1910, as part of an urban renewal plan, which also included the widening and altimetrical arrangement of Via Mezzocannone, the idea was come upon to restructure the entire building facing the street.
This involved incorporating several adjacent buildings into the complex from the Brancacciana Library side and eliminating the old atrium of Santa Lucia.
The project, drafted by the Civil Engineering Department, consisted of the general re-arrangement and elevation of the new wing.
Construction work began in 1913 but progressed slowly and was eventually suspended due to the outbreak of World War I.
Work resumed in 1920, only to be halted again due to a lack of funds.
However, all the plans for the ground and upper floors of the reconstructed part had already been completed, and the façade was finished in a neo-Renaissance style, with the central section covered in cut stone.
This included the laboratories for the departments of Electrochemistry, Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, Technological and Inorganic Chemistry, Technical Architecture, and the Naval Section.
Additional works, carried out between 1925–1928, involved the completion of the central buildings, the extension of the upper sections, and the installation of an elevator in the main stairwell.
This made it possible to accommodate the laboratories for Docimastic Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, and Metallurgy on the first floor; administrative offices on the second floor; and lecture halls on the third floor.
The unsightly body of the building that still occupies part of the former cloister garden, as well as the one leaning against the southwest side of the small cloister, also date back to this period.
The Aerodynamics laboratory was housed in the new wing; the laboratories for Internal Combustion Engines, Wood and Iron Construction, and Railways were housed on the first; the Bursar's Office, Machine Lab, and Lecture Rooms on the second; and finally, the Physics of the Earth, Aerodynamic Construction, and Electrical Installations laboratories were located on the third floor.
In conclusion, the new western section, spanning four floors above the basement, completed the fifth floor facing Via Mezzocannone.
This followed the architectural reduction implemented on the side of the Complex of Salvatore and the side façade of the new university building facing Corso Umberto I.
In the post-World War II period, there was a succession of schemes aimed merely at obtaining space, with an absolute disregard for the monumental complex itself.
In the 1960s, in order to earmark space to house the Institutes of Chemistry, the loggia of the northeastern wing was covered over, and various types of poor-quality architectural extensions were added.

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