Reopens the church of San Genaro in Naples, redecorated by Calatrava
Rome, Jul 6 (EFE) .- The church of San Genaro del Real Bosque de Capodimonte, in the city of Naples (Campania, southern Italy), reopened to the public today, after more than fifty years closed, with its interior redecorated by the Spanish architect, sculptor and designer Santiago Calatrava.
At the inauguration of the church, Calatrava expressed a "strong feeling of gratitude towards those who have contributed to this work" and assured that he has felt a "conductor" of the "Neapolitan masters" who participated in the project, according to Italian media .
"The light of Naples is millenary and takes shape thanks to the workers of this city," added the architect.
Not surprisingly, that light, in dark blue tones, is one of the outstanding elements of the redecoration directed by Calatrava, who defines it as "a global work of art in which various materials, such as porcelain, fabric, enamel and painting, converge in an autonomous work that speaks from the past to the present, looking towards the future ".
Elements such as flowers, birds and leaves that populate the Royal Forest of Capodimonte are introduced in the new decoration of San Genaro to accompany the traditional Catholic sacred motifs, such as the cross.
Calatrava took the opportunity to thank Italy for "what it has given to art", since part of his work is inspired by the Scrovegni chapel in Padua or the "Crucifixion" by Masaccio.
The church of San Genaro was built in 1745 in the Real Bosque de Capodimonte by the architect Ferdinando Sanfelice, by order of Carlos III.
The intervention inaugurated today completes the great exhibition "Santiago Calatrava. In the light of Naples", an exhibition with some 400 works, including sculptures, drawings and models, open to the public until August 22 at the Museum and the Royal Forest of Capodimonte .
