Un cantiere tra due secoli: la chiesa dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo in Napoli

The church of Santi Filippo and Giacomo is an interesting case of late 16th century construction, built on a pre-existing structure and completed only in the first half of the following century. The building, whose project is not attributed to any architect of the time, presents some hybrid features, arguably due to the wide time span covered by the construction process and therefore its exposure to new and evolving architectural styles. If, on one hand, the planimetric layout appears perfectly akin to the counter-reformist liturgical scheme of a single hall and side chapels, on the other hand the dome presents some aspects that are quite atypical for the 16th century. Consequently, it could be defined as a structure that bridges the two centuries: far from both the simplicity of naked domes with piperno apparatus and the baroque experimentations. Considering this premise, the paper analyses the construction of the church, referring to the historical Guides of Naples and direct observation of the building.