Basilica di San Francesco di Paola, Majestic Pantheon-inspired architecture with grand colonnades

Piazza del Plebiscito

There are semi-circular column decorations on both sides of the church

4.1

Introduction

The San Paolo Maggiore Church is located on the west side of Piazza del Plebiscito, the largest square in the southern Italian city of Naples. The square was named after the 1860 referendum that decided Naples would become a part of the Kingdom of Italy. The building of the church drew inspiration from the Roman Pantheon and features a grandiose architecture. Rows of columns stand tall on the arc-shaped corridors on both sides, with a dome reaching 53 meters in height, while a statue of Charles III on horseback stands in the center of the square. In the early 19th century, the construction of the church and the planning of the square and other buildings were started by the Bourbon monarch Joachim Murat, who was from the Bonaparte family, with the intention of dedicating them to Napoleon. However, Napoleon fell from power and after the Bourbon dynasty was restored, the construction was completed under Ferdinand IV. Finally, upon its completion in 1816, the San Paolo Maggiore Church was dedicated to the 16th-century saint Paul the Apostle.