Cupole di Capua: ricerche sulla Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata

The Church of Santissima Annunziata in Capua represents an example of great relevance within the architectural production of the Campanian Renaissance. Starting from the Thirties of the 16th century, the construction site of the church, built on an Angevin pre-existence, involved both some of the most important technicians of that period and highly specialized workers, coming largely from the Cavese and Neapolitan contexts. Despite the transformations carried out between the 17th and 18th centuries, the Renaissance features of the building are still recognizable. In particular, the dome constitutes an emblematic element: here the original parts dialogue with the subsequent additions without contrasts, defining a unicum of great interest. Considering the complex constructive history of the Church and its dome, this paper proposes a critical interpretation of such architectural processes, and is aimed at comprehending both the material and immaterial values and the intrinsic vulnerabilities of this palimpsest, through the cross reading of the indirect sources and of the results of the onsite innovative and non-invasive experimentations.