The Chiesa di San Costanzo (Church of Constantius) is a monumental church of

Capri Capri ( , ; ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The main town of Capri that is located on the island shares the name. It has be ...

. Named after the patron saint of the island of Capri,

San Costanzo San Costanzo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italian region Marche, located about northwest of Ancona and about southeast of Pesaro. Geography The municipality of San Costanzo contains three ''frazioni'' ...

, it was the cathedral of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Capri The Roman Catholic Diocese of Capri (Latin: ''Dioecesis Capriensis seu Capritana'') was a Roman Catholic diocese located in the city of Capri on the island of Capri, in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf ...

from 987–1560.

History

The exact date of construction of the church is still unknown but it is one of the oldest on the Island of Capri. Some historians believe its origins could date to the fifth century as it appears to be built on the ruins of a Roman building from the Late Republican period consisting of eight columns and two

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

s. Others state it may have been built between the ninth and the twelfth centuries. However, an early church certainly existed when the Diocese of Capri was created in 987. At the time, its early Christian character had been completely revamped as a Byzantine church with a plan in the form of a

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a ''crucifix'' and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

. Originally it was dedicated to San Severino and only after the death of

, in the seventh century, was it renamed. There were major renovations in 1330 when Count Giacomo Arcucci added a chancel in the typical

Gothic style Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

. In 1560, the church lost its status as a cathedral to Santo Stefano. In 1775 the building was greatly weakened by the removal of three Numidian marble columns for use as flooring in the royal chapel of the

Palace of Caserta The Royal Palace of Caserta ( it, Reggia di Caserta ) is a former royal residence in Caserta, southern Italy, constructed by the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies as their main residence as kings of Naples. It is the largest palace erected in Euro ...

; other damage occurred in 1928 the priest's house was built, as the front porch was demolished and the facade was altered. As a result, restructuring and consolidation was carried out from 1932 to 1935, giving the church its present look. The old structure can be seen in an 1840 watercolor by

Giacinto Gigante Giacinto Gigante (1806–1876) was an Italian painter, engraver, and teacher. He was known for his landscape and vista paintings, exemplary works of the Neapolitan School of Posillipo. Biography Early life Giacinto Gigante was born on July 11, ...

. In 1972, the church was also dedicated to ''Maria Santissima della Libera'' (Our Lady of the Free). In 1990, renovation work revealed a Roman

opus signinum ''Opus signinum'' ('cocciopesto' in modern Italian) is a building material used in ancient Rome. It is made of tiles broken up into very small pieces, mixed with mortar, and then beaten down with a rammer. Pliny the Elder in his '' Natural Histo ...

floor and a section of brick wall from the fifth century. It was not, however, established whether these findings were part of the church or of buildings which existed prior to its construction.

Description

The church of San Costanzo has a very simple façade which dates from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century when the porch and triangular gable were demolished to provide stone for building the priest's house. It is divided in two by a narrow

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

. In the lower part, there is a doorway dating from the fourteenth century, surmounted by the crest of the

Counts of Anjou The Count of Anjou was the ruler of the County of Anjou, first granted by Charles the Bald in the 9th century to Robert the Strong. Ingelger and his son, Fulk the Red, were viscounts until Fulk assumed the title of Count of Anjou. The Robertians ...

, while in the upper part there are two of the priest's house windows. It reaches up into a small tympanum bordered by

volute A volute is a spiral, scroll-like ornament that forms the basis of the Ionic order, found in the capital of the Ionic column. It was later incorporated into Corinthian order and Composite column capitals. Four are normally to be found on an Ion ...

s. The church takes the form of a Greek cross extending out from a central square into four groin-vaulted chapels. At the point where the arms intersect, the dome rises above a

barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

supported by four arches. The perimeter was originally adorned by 12 columns, some removed for use in the

. To the south, there is a square fourteenth-century sanctuary, to the west, the apse. The original entrance was probably on the eastern side, in line with the apse. Only after restoration work in the fourteenth century was it moved to the north. Outside, there is a small Arabic-styled belltower.

References

{{coord, 40, 33, 4, N, 14, 14, 17, E, type:landmark, display=title Roman Catholic churches in Capri, Campania