Santa Maria del Parto a Mergellina

Naples · Italy · Church

The devil in the altarpiece has the face of a beautiful woman. Naples knows who she was — and what love potion she had brewed.

The church above the harbour of Mergellina was built by the poet Jacopo Sannazaro, who lies buried in the choir. At the first altar on the right hangs a painting of 1542 by Leonardo Grazia da Pistoia: the archangel Michael driving out the demon. The demon is painted as a fair-haired and very beautiful woman, and the whole city calls the picture il Diavolo di Mergellina. The legend identifies her as the noblewoman Vittoria d'Avalos, in love with Bishop Diomede Carafa. When he would not yield she had the witch known as l'Alamanna brew a love philtre, poured it over freshly fried sweets and handed them to the bishop, who was seized by a maddened passion. He fled into the church and commissioned the painting in thanks for his escape. On the rock beneath the demon stands the phrase Et fecit victoriam.

FAQ

Where is Santa Maria del Parto a Mergellina located?

Santa Maria del Parto a Mergellina is in Neapel, Italy.

More haunted places in Neapel

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.