Map of the Church

            The Chiesa of Santa Maria a Piazza, albeit retained the most ancient of the town, appears in the officials documents only in the half of the XII century. This (in the actual release, after it was erected to parish) shows the planimetric plant similar to San Nicola's, San Giovanni Evangelista's and Sant'Andrea's, that is to say with three naves (in the city the parishes only had the privilege of the three naves).
            The restauration, begun in the Fifties, has never been completed: the crypt was not reconstructed, the flooring was not built to the original level, and some frescos were brought no more
in situ.
            The church probably rose in the XI century, at the crossbreed of ancient public streets, as a chapel of the homonym burgh or of Orlachia, outside the urban walls, among the churches of San Giovanni Evangelista and San Paolo, with a simple diagram: a small nave with a semicircular apse. Also the bell tower, that was never completed, is of same period; still of that period are some traces of the pulpit
in cornu epistulae and the ancient Sagrestia with the barbaric symbols.
            After the fires of 1135, that damaged many monuments in Aversa, it was necessary to reconstruct and widen the small church; two lateral naves and the spans opposite the central one were added. The presbytery, even getting widen, will preserve externally a narrow passage delimited by the west tower of the new castle.
            The dome, with the octagonal segmented dome cladding, that hides cells inside, and the two semivaults, were built in the XIV-XV century. The interesting architectural appearance, born from the joint of the volumes, will emulate that of the cathedral, once it also with three domes.
            In the extreme lunettes of the façade there are two faded frescos that represent, on the right,
Santa Caterina Vergine and Martire, and, on the left, the Madonna con il Bambino.
            In the central nave a portal coincides to whose summit a marble Agnus Dei is inserted. Inside on the right wall is a demure fresco by Giotto, the
Crocifissione di Gesù con la Madonna, San Giovanni Battista, San Nicola di Bari, San Giovanni Evangelista, aching Angels and a benefactor woman (second half XIV century).On the pillar of the font, a bust of San Benedetto follows, within cavallinian compass; on the second pillar we can find a fresco, the Madonna in trono col Bambino (sacred conversation), by Francesco Cicino da Caiazzo (end XV cent.).


Particukar of the Dormitio Virginis (II° XIV half century) by Maetro di G. di Barrile.

Adoration of the Magi (XV-XVI cen.) after Pinturicchio school

            On the right nave there is a fine fresco of the Adorazione of the Magi (XV-XVI century), from the school of Pinturicchio. In the transept there was the fresco of the Dormizione della Vergine, attributed to the Maestro of Giovanni Barrile (II half XIV century). Below there is recently a Crocifissione with the Madonna and San Giovanni Battista. In the purse of the ancient sacristy the busts of the twelve Apostoli, of an unknown cavallinian painter, an Annunciazione, of the Maestro of the Storie della Vergine (half XV century), San Michele Arcangelo and an interesting Madonna on the throne, of renaissance period.
           In the present sacristy with the traces of medieval fresco there is a precious byzantinizing icon with the Madonna e il Bambino (sec. XIII?), a Natività della Vergine of the group of Giovanni De Mio and a Madonna delle Grazie with the Santi Francesco di Paola and Antonio da Padova by Decio Tramontano; on the vault of the adjoining closet ancient barbaric symbols appear.

           In the presbytery, in the restaurations of the years '50-'60, some fresco came to the light among which a Santa Lucia, by a certain Cardillo from Aversa, a Sant'Antonio, San Leonardo and San Francesco (?) all from county culture; of the same group there are other frescos della Cona Vecchia, San Giovanni Evangelista and San Gregorio IX (?). Near the northern exit, in a newspaper kiosk, we can admire a suggesting image of the Madonna con Bambino of Sienesian culture (second half XIV century).



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Artistic-monumental patrimony