The history of our church runs parallel to that of the nearby Hospital of San Giovanni di Dio, founded in 1183 by the chancellor of the Kingdom, Matteo D’Aiello. He obtained from his son Nicola the church of San Giovanni in Busanola (located near the Fusandola stream) to establish a hospital for treating the poorest inhabitants of the city. By 1309, the hospital was referred to as Hospitale S. Iohannis de Jerusalem.
The choice of this area was influenced by the proximity of water, useful for the needs of the sick, and the nearby church of the Annunziata, which took responsibility for both the medical and spiritual care of the patients. This complemented the work of the Hospitallers of San Giovanni, later known as the Knights of Rhodes and then the Knights of Malta, to whom the hospital was entrusted.
The first reference to the title “Annunziata” for the church dates back to 1372, mentioned in a testamentary bequest to a hospitalarius Sanctae Mariae Adnunciatae. This likely did not refer to the current building but to the old church, possibly located where the former barracks, now the Foreigners’ Office of the Police Headquarters, stand. The new church was built at the end of the 15th century by the Universitas (municipal authority) and with donations of land and fiefs by Queen Margaret of Durazzo, mother of King Ladislaus of Naples. These donations were intended for the construction of a sacristy, the creation of a garden, and a road to provide convenient access to the hospital, continuing to meet the needs of the sick and orphans housed in the hospital’s foundling home. The church continued this mission until 1614 when the religious order of St. John of God was called to manage the hospital.
As mentioned, the Universitas of Salerno held patronage over the church, which by the 16th century had become a “ricettizia” (a type of moral entity) under the patronage of the municipality that had commissioned its construction to support the adjacent hospital. After the arrival of the Brothers Hospitallers, the priests of the Annunziata continued to celebrate Masses, console the sick, administer holy oils, and baptize the orphans in the foundling home.
In the second half of the 18th century, the church was given the title Annunziata Maggiore to distinguish it from the Annunziata Minore, annexed to the Conservatory, now known as Annunziatella. In 1807, the city’s mayor confirmed in an official notice that the church remained under the city’s patronage for activities connected to the hospital. In 1854, Bishop Marino Paglia transferred the parish seat of Santa Trofimena to this church.
Like many monuments in Salerno, the 15th-century church was originally located at a level at least 2 or 3 meters lower. This was due to the city’s orographic nature, which caused numerous floods, fires, and earthquakes, leading to devastating destruction and a city built layer upon layer. This is evident in other structures like San Pietro a Corte, Sant’Andrea e Santa maria de Lama, San Giorgio, and the Church of the Crocifisso.
The original layout of the church lies beneath the current one, oriented similarly but partially incorporated into adjacent buildings. Archaeological excavations revealed that the church was built against the city walls and a tower later incorporated into the structure. These excavations also highlighted the poor materials used for construction, as all resources were dedicated to the hospital’s needs. Frescoes imitating marble walls were found, as well as traces of the original elevated altar and a nearby ossuary with a Gothic tombstone inscribed: Hoc sepulcrum est pauperum (This is the tomb of the poor).
It is unclear when the church was reconstructed at its current level, but a notarial act from 1636 mentions its rebuilding after a severe flood. Major works were carried out over the centuries, but the church’s current appearance results from renovations during the 18th century. During this period, many Salerno churches were enriched with art and architectural enhancements, thanks to the work of renowned Neapolitan artists and architects. The church commissioned Ferdinando Sanfelice for the beautiful bell tower and a team of sculptors and cabinetmakers for its decorative elements, which we still admire today.
The decorative campaign lasted for almost the entire 18th century. It began with rich stuccos created by the masters Benedetto Iovane and Francesco Benedetto Santullo, which unfortunately can no longer be admired due to the damages the building suffered. The last and most devastating event occurred in 1954, when a flood filled the church with mud, debris, cars, and even bodies, reaching a height of about two meters. It took three years to restore the church, during which new plaster, stucco, flooring, and more were installed.
In 1712, the richly crafted wooden sacristy was built by the Neapolitan Francesco Saviotto based on a design by the renowned Domenico Vinaccia. In 1716, Matteo Bottigliero and Filippo and Giovanni Ragozzino were commissioned to create the main altar, a project that lasted much of the century. By 1723, the altar was nearly complete, except for the two candelabra-bearing angels, which were placed in position in 1727.
A particularly interesting aspect of this long endeavor was the involvement of the entire city, which was often invited to provide opinions on choices and doubts, responding with great interest and participation. The attention given to the beautiful altar was such that in 1751, sacred furnishings and curtains for covering the doors beside the altar were commissioned, featuring motifs and colors harmonizing with the altar’s palette.
In 1772, the church governors decided to make the apse even more ornate, commissioning Neapolitan marble workers Giuseppe di Bernardo and Antonio Pelliccia to craft the large marble frame that encases the Annunciation scene.
In 1745, Francesco Ragozzino created the marble facade, enhanced with bas-reliefs of the Annunciation and large niches housing two statues representing Humility and Virginity. These statues were removed in 1918 and relocated to the sides of the large marble altarpiece on the main altar.
During the 18th century, the altars of the transept were also completed.
The church’s collection of artworks includes numerous paintings and statues spanning from the 18th to the 20th century.
Of particular note is the painting of “The Baptism of Christ,” located in the first chapel on the left upon entering. This 18th-century work is attributed to a painter from the circle of Luca Giordano or Bardellino. On the right wall, almost opposite the Baptism, is a painting of St. Ignatius of Loyola, dating to the late 18th or early 19th century.
In the right-hand chapel, there is a mannequin statue of Saint Trofimena, brought here from the nearby church in the Fornelle district named after her, possibly when the parish seat was transferred to the Annunziata in 1853 due to the poor condition of the original building, which remained closed for many years. In the third chapel on the right, there is a painting of St. Joseph with the Child, executed by a follower of the painters who made the Neapolitan 17th century one of the most flourishing periods of Italian art. Devotional statues from the 19th century adorn the remaining chapels.
In 1856, the Decurionate commissioned the painter Luigi Montesano to create a painting of Saint Blaise. The commission also mentioned a painting of Saint Francis of Paola, which Montesano had reportedly completed a few years earlier. This commission was part of an extensive restoration project lasting 14 years, during which the flooring was replaced, superseding the one crafted in the 18th century by Francesco Ragozzino. Following these renovations, a beautiful neo-Gothic organ, dated 1880, was also acquired.
In 1913, the Salernitan painter Pasquale Avallone painted the medallions of the Prophets that adorn the nave walls and the Saints Peter and Paul placed beside the main altar. His father, Giuseppe Avallone, created the Stations of the Cross and a small painting of the Madonna of Pompeii.
Edited by Dr. Emilia Alfinito
[Translation by Daniela Longobardi]
Bibliography:
Passeggiate Salernitane 2, a cura di Emilia Alfinito, Anna De Martino, Maria Pasca, Salerno,1990, pagg.34-38
L. Avino, Marmi colorati per l’altare maggiore dell’Annunziata di Salerno (1716-1774), Bracigliano (SA), 1993
Il Centro storico di Salerno, Chiese, Conventi…., a cura di Maria Pasca, Viterbo, 2000, pagg.13-20
Salerno Sacra, Ricerche storiche, II edizione riveduta ed integrata, a cura di Vincenzo De Simone, Giuseppe Rescigno, Francesco Manzione, Donato De Mattia, Lancusi, 2001, pagg. 107-109
Chiesa della SS. Annunziata Maggiore, a cura di Maria Antonietta Iannelli, Benedetta Spadacenta, Salerno 2014