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| Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica di Santa Maria del Carmine(in Italian) | |
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 The Church of the Carmine in Naples. | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Diocese | Archdiocese of Naples |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Minor basilica |
| Location | |
| Location | Naples,Campania,Italy |
 Interactive map of Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica di Santa Maria del Carmine(in Italian) | |
| Coordinates | 40°50′49″N14°16′03″E / 40.846814°N 14.267583°E /40.846814; 14.267583 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Church |
| Style | Baroque |
Santa Maria del Carmine (Our Lady of Mount Carmel) is a church inNaples, Italy. It is at one end ofPiazza Mercato (Market Square), the centre of civic life in Naples for many centuries until it was cut off from the rest of the city by urban renewal in 1900. The church was founded in the 13th century byCarmelite friars driven from the Holy Land in theCrusades, presumably arriving in the Bay of Naples aboardAmalfitan ships. Some sources, however, place the original refugees from Mount Carmel as early as the eighth century. The church is still in use and the 75–metre bell tower is visible from a distance even amidst taller modern buildings.
The square adjacent to the church was the site in 1268 of the execution ofConradin, the lastHohenstaufen heir to the throne of the kingdom of Naples, at the hands ofCharles I of Anjou, thus beginning theAngevin reign of the kingdom. Conrad's mother,Elisabeth of Bavaria, founded the church for the good of the souls of her young son and his companion,Frederick of Baden as well as a resting place for their remains, where they remain today. A statue was erected to Conrad's memory, commissioned by then crown-prince,Maximilian II of Bavaria, designed by theNeoclassic sculptorThorvaldsen, and completed by his pupil Schopf in 1847.
In 1647 the square was the site of battles between rebels and royal troops duringMasaniello's revolt, and later, in 1799, it was the scene of the mass execution of leaders of theNeapolitan Republic of 1799. The area – including parts of the church premises – was heavily bombed inWorld War II and still shows the scars of the devastation.
The old monastic grounds adjacent to the church now serve as a shelter for the needy and homeless. The church is home to two renowned religious relics: one, the painting of the "Brown Madonna" (Italian:Madonna Bruna), is said to have been brought by the original Carmelites; the second is a figure of the Crucifixion in which the crown of thorns is missing. According to legend, the crown fell off as Christ's head moved when the building was struck by a cannonball in 1439 during the Aragonese siege.
The elaborateBaroque decoration (1755–56), including stucco, carved wood, and polychrome marble, was designed byNicola Tagliacozzi Canale. The statue ofSt Michael Archangel is attributed toGirolamo Santacroce. The church also has a funeral monument toConradin of Swabia. The chapels have altarpieces byMattia Preti,Giovanni Sarnelli,Matteo Bottigliero,Francesco De Mura,Francesco Solimena, andAntonio Sarnelli. The Chapel of the Virgin del Carmelo, has a 12th-century icon of the Virgin and child. The presbytery has some alabaster urns. The main altar was completed by Pietro andGiuseppe Mazzetti. The sacristy has frescoes byFilippo Falciatore, depicting Carmelite Order saints. The bell tower was rebuilt by architectGiuseppe Nuvolo in the 17th century, and has an onion-dome cupola decorated withmaiolica.[1]
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