The Gotico Angioiano is a Gothic style of architecture found in southern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It is named after the

Capetian House of Anjou The Capetian House of Anjou, or House of Anjou-Sicily, or House of Anjou-Naples was a royal house and cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. It is one of three separate royal houses referred to as ''Angevin'', meaning "from Anjou" in France. Foun ...

and had been the style of the

Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily (; ; ) was a state that existed in Sicily and the southern Italian peninsula, Italian Peninsula as well as, for a time, in Kingdom of Africa, Northern Africa, from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 until 1816. It was ...

since 1266 and the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

since 1302. It must not be confused with the Angevin Gothic of western France. The Capetian House of Anjou began with

Charles I of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou or Charles d'Anjou, was King of Sicily from 1266 to 1285. He was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the House of Anjou-Sicily. Between 1246 a ...

, who had been given the

County of Anjou The County of Anjou (, ; ; ) was a French county that was the predecessor to the Duchy of Anjou. Its capital was Angers, and its area was roughly co-extensive with the diocese of Angers. Anjou was bordered by Brittany to the west, Maine, France, ...

apanage An appanage, or apanage (; ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a monarch, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture (where only the eldest inherits). It was ...

by his brother,

Louis IX of France Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis VI ...

. He was given the kingdom of Sicily as a fief by

Pope Clement IV Pope Clement IV (; 23 November 1190 – 29 November 1268), born Gui Foucois (; or ') and also known as Guy le Gros ( French for "Guy the Fat"; ), was bishop of Le Puy (1257–1260), archbishop of Narbonne (1259–1261), cardinal of Sabina ( ...

, as the popes wanted to finish the

Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...

rule in Italy and to cut the junctions between the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

and Sicily. Establishing his rule in Naples, he brought a large staff of courtiers and specialists along with himself. Therefore, the architectural style developed under his rule, was a combination of influences from the Crown land of France around

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and Italian traditions. Among the examples of this style are Lucera Cathedral in

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

and the church Santa Maria a Marciano in the commune of Piana di Monte Verna in

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

. Naples has numerous churches built in Gotico Angioiano. One of them,

San Lorenzo Maggiore San Lorenzo Maggiore is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Benevento, in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is a member of the Titerno Local Action Group. Geography San Lorenzo Maggiore covers 16.17 square kilometers of hilly land ...

consists of

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

and

ambulatory The ambulatory ( 'walking place') is the covered passage around a cloister or the processional way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar. The first ambulatory was in France in the 11th century but by the 13t ...

with ribbed vaults in "Parisian" Gothic style, and transept and nave with pointed arches but open sight into the woodwork of the roof, as it is frequent in Italian architecture. Basilica cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta (Lucera).JPG, Lucera Cathedral, the southernmost Gothic brick church of continental Italy Basilica cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, abside (Lucera).JPG, Lucera Cathedral, apse with an umbrella vault San Lorenzo Maggiore di Napoli 04.jpg, San Lorenzo Maggiore in Naples, nave open to the woodwork of the roof Interior San Lorenzo Maggiore 01.JPG, San Lorenzo Maggiore, ambulatory and choir with rib vaults

Extern sources

Treccani (a serious Italian encyclopedy) : Description of the adjective "angioiano" and its application on Gothic style (in Italian)

Historia Regni: ''Il gotico alla corte angioina di Napoli'' (in Italian)

Puglia.com, ''Cattedrale di Lucera, duomo dedicato a Santa Maria Assunta'' – description of this building as an example of "stile gotico-angioiano" (in Italian)

References

Gothic architecture in Campania Gothic architecture in Sicily {{Italy-hist-stub

See also

Extern sources

References