CHIESA SANTA MARIA DI PORTOSALVO
Latest update: 14 March 2022
CHIESA SANTA MARIA DI PORTOSALVO
Constructed:1854–1856
Style: Neo Classical
Location: In front of the port on Via Iasolino, Ischia Porto
The Chiesa Santa Maria di Portosalvo was constructed by the Bourbons and consecrated in the presence of the Bishop of Ischia, Felice Romano and King Ferdinand II.
In its Neo-Classicism, this church is different to most other churches in Ischia which are Baroque. One of the symbols associated with the Virgin Mary is ‘The Port of Our Salvation’, so the dedication to this aspect of Mary, is appropriate due to the location of the church.
With a colonnaded portico and pediment above, the classical elements of this Latin Cross Church are continued in the interior with a barrel vaulted nave, transept and rectangular choir – the aisle bays are defined by Corinthian pilasters and shallow domes.
The interior is well lit by clerestory windows in the nave and lunette windows in the aisles, creating a luminous effect, with decoration kept to a minimum. Three large oil paintings of the Neopolitan School decorate the transept and choir.
An interesting sculpture in the south aisle is of San Giuseppe Moscati (1880 – 1927). He was a doctor who lived most of his life in Naples and was canonized in 1987, the first modern doctor to receive this distinction. The sculpture is in wood and depicts him dressed in a business suit, waistcoat, tie and collar with a stethoscope round his neck, holding a book (Bible or Medical Journal) in his left hand, in the style of a saint. He was known for his compassionate care and saintly life, but apart from this he was the first to use insulin in the treatment of diabetes.
Style: Neo Classical
Location: In front of the port on Via Iasolino, Ischia Porto
The Chiesa Santa Maria di Portosalvo was constructed by the Bourbons and consecrated in the presence of the Bishop of Ischia, Felice Romano and King Ferdinand II.
In its Neo-Classicism, this church is different to most other churches in Ischia which are Baroque. One of the symbols associated with the Virgin Mary is ‘The Port of Our Salvation’, so the dedication to this aspect of Mary, is appropriate due to the location of the church.
With a colonnaded portico and pediment above, the classical elements of this Latin Cross Church are continued in the interior with a barrel vaulted nave, transept and rectangular choir – the aisle bays are defined by Corinthian pilasters and shallow domes.
The interior is well lit by clerestory windows in the nave and lunette windows in the aisles, creating a luminous effect, with decoration kept to a minimum. Three large oil paintings of the Neopolitan School decorate the transept and choir.
An interesting sculpture in the south aisle is of San Giuseppe Moscati (1880 – 1927). He was a doctor who lived most of his life in Naples and was canonized in 1987, the first modern doctor to receive this distinction. The sculpture is in wood and depicts him dressed in a business suit, waistcoat, tie and collar with a stethoscope round his neck, holding a book (Bible or Medical Journal) in his left hand, in the style of a saint. He was known for his compassionate care and saintly life, but apart from this he was the first to use insulin in the treatment of diabetes.
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