Piazza dei Martiri (in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

: ''Martyrs' Square'') is a monument-containing square in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

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 ...

, located at the junction of Via Domenico Morelli and Santa Caterina, one block north of the eastern end of the large seaside park known as the

Villa Comunale The Villa Comunale is a park in Naples, Southern Italy. It was built in the 1780s by King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, Ferdinand IV (later known as Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies) on land reclaimed along the coast between the main body of ...

. The square was originally dedicated to Santa Maria a Cappella, but took on patriotic significance when Italy was united in 1861.

Monument to the Martyrs

The monument in the center of this square was built around a column already standing during the Bourbon rule, when the square was called the ''Piazza della Pace''. The column was repurposed, and atop now stands a bronze statue depicting the ''Virtue of the Martyrs'', designed by

Emanuele Caggiano Emanuele Caggiano (Benevento, June 12, 1837 – Naples, August 22, 1905) was an Italian sculptor, active in a Realist style. Biography He began his training early, and by the age of 12 years he had completed in Bari a portrait of Count Candido ...

. Four lions stand at the corners of the square base, each represent Neapolitan patriots who died during specific anti-Bourbon revolutions *Lion dying - to fallen defending the short lived

Parthenopean Republic The Parthenopean Republic (, ) or Neapolitan Republic () was a short-lived, semi-autonomous republic located within the Kingdom of Naples and supported by the French First Republic. The republic emerged during the French Revolutionary Wars after ...

in 1799. *Lion pierced by a sword- to fallen during

Carbonari The Carbonari () was an informal network of Secret society, secret revolutionary societies active in Italy from about 1800 to 1831. The Carbonari may have further influenced other revolutionary groups in France, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Urugua ...

revolution of 1820. *Lion lying down - to fallen during revolution of 1848, with 1848 statutes under paw. *Lion striding on foot - to fallen during successful

Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...

ni Revolt of 1860. Behind this last lion is a tablet that states: File:Monumento ai caduti.jpg, To fallen in 1799 File:Monumento ai cadutileonpart2.jpg, To fallen in 1820 File:Monumento ai cadutileonepart.jpg, To fallen in 1848 File:Monumento ai caduti5.jpg, To fallen in 1860

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Piazza Dei Martiri (Naples) Martiri Martiri