Church of Saint Mary of the Announcement — Attraction in Salerno

The Church of the Holy Annunciation, together with the Arechi Castle and Porta Nova, represents one of the vertices of the geographical triangle, which describes the plan of historic Salerno. The SS. Annunziata was built on the site of a previous religious building, the church of Santa Maria, and is mentioned for the first time in a document dated 1412, when Queen Margherita di Durazzo donated some possessions to the church itself. In the crypt of the new church there are the remains of the old that dates back to 1400 on which the place of worship dedicated to the Madonna was rebuilt, in one of the access points of the ancient city of Salerno, via Porta Catena, right in front of where the old city hospital San Giovanni di Dio was located (and where now there is the Lanzalone Middle School), as in the western side we recognize the remains of the walls of the Norman age. Excavations in 2011 brought to light traces of the ancient fortification walls of the city and, as mentioned, of the pre-existing church of the 1400s as well as the various ossuaries located in the basement, at the side chapels of the church. The new building was built in 1627, with the name of Santissima Annunziata Nuova, and replaced the old which, in 1626, was destroyed by a flood. Today the church, with a longitudinal plan with a presbytery covered by a dome, shows a marked 18th-century style. Ferdinando Sanfelice in 1737 was responsible for the elegant bell tower with four superimposed orders, completed by a pinnacle spire,...

1626 - 1627 (edificazione intero bene)

L'edificio costruito nel 1627 con il nome di Santissima Annunziata Nuova, andò a sostituire la vecchia chiesa di fine quattrocento che, nel 1626, fu distrutta da un'alluvione. Quest'ultima fu edificata in sostituzione della Santissima Annunziata Vecchia o Extra Moenia. Descrizione La chiesa presenta pianta rettangolare coperta da volta a botte unghiata; è a navata unica con abside e cupola emisferica, senza tamburo e con lanterna, decorata con un motivo a cassettoni e rosette. I lati sono caratterizzati da lesene scanalate con capitelli corinzi che riquadrano le cappelle. La chiesa presenta la facciata su via Portacatena arricchita da due nicchie sagomate in marmo, oggi prive delle statue previste dal progettista Francesco Ragozzino, situate ai lati del portale sovrastato da un tondo a bassorilievo rappresentante l'Annunciazione; la porta è in rame sbalzato. La facciata è divisa orizzontalmente da una fascia marcapiano e verticalmente da otto lesene: quattro nella parte inferiore, lisce, con capitelli ionici; quattro in quella superiore, scanalate, con capitelli corinzi. Chiude il tutto un timpano...

I'm disappointed that despite the end of COVID mandates, the priest and servets put on masks to serve Communion. I find it offensive, tbh. The cpngregation showed no warmth towards this visitor. I'm sure the atmosphere of masking...