San Juan Bautista Church, Málaga, Spain

Photo from Flickr, copyright Nicola since 1972

Historic Site of the week

Royal Palace of Naples

Royal Palace of Naples was one of the four residences near Naples used by the Bourbon Kings during their rule of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1734-1860): the others were the palaces of Caserta, Capodimonte overlooking Naples, and the third Portici, on the slopes of Vesuvius.

Construction on the present building was begun in the 17th century by the architect Domenico Fontana. Intended to house the King Philip III of Spain on a visit never fulfilled to this part of his kingdom, instead it initially housed the Viceroy Fernando Ruiz de Castro, count of Lemos. By 1616, the facade had been completed, and by 1620, the interior was frescoed by Battistello Caracciolo, Giovanni Balducci, and Belisario Corenzio. The decoration of the Royal Chapel of Assumption was not completed until 1644 by Antonio Picchiatti.

In 1734, with the arrival of Charles III of Spain to Naples, the palace became the royal residence of the Bourbons. On the occasion of his marriage to Maria Amalia of Saxony in 1738, Francesco De Mura and Domenico Antonio Vaccaro helped remodel the interior. Further modernization took place under Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. In 1768, on the occasion of his marriage to Maria Carolina of Austria, under the direction of Ferdinando Fuga, the great hall was rebuilt and the court theater added. During the second half of the 18th century, a 'new wing' was added, which in 1927 became the Vittorio Emanuele III National Library. By the 18th century, the royal residence was moved to Reggia of Caserta, as that inland town was more defensible from naval assault, as well as more distant from the often-rebellious populace of Naples.

During the Napoleonic occupation the palace was enriched by Joachim Murat and his wife, Caroline Bonaparte, with Neoclassic decorations and furnishings. However, a fire in 1837 damaged many rooms, and required restoration from 1838 to 1858 under the direction of Gaetano Genovese. Further additions of a Party Wing and a Belvedere were made in this period. At the corner of the palace with San Carlo Theatre, a new facade was created that obscured the viceroyal palace of Pedro de Toledo.

In 1922, it was decided to transfer here the contents of the National Library. The transfer of library collections was made by 1925.

The library suffered from bombing during World War II and the subsequent military occupation of the building caused serious damage. Today, the palace and adjacent grounds house the famous Teatro San Carlo, the smaller Teatrino di Corte (recently restored), the Biblioteca Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III, a museum, and offices, including those of the regional tourist board.

Ros Williams (2 years ago)
Found this gem of a sea food resturant just by chance in Malaga on our fifth visit to the city. We loved it straight away, from the quality of the food, the atmosphere and the friendly service. Brilliant eating and drinking , sitting in a side alley in the heat of the night. Just by chance we met a family from Wales who loved the resturant too. We will be certainly visiting this resturant again next time in Malaga. Can't wait.

Lawrence Freeman (2 years ago)
A stunning church with very ornate and unusual ceiling. It also has a fabulous brick tower to the front and some marvellous side chapels.

Maureen Keady (2 years ago)
The church was beautiful, it looks small from the outside. The altars inside are stunning and we'll worth a visit.

Belly The Labrador (2 years ago)
I was lucky to meet Antonio Banderas at this church

Paul Owens (2 years ago)
When I went on holiday to the Gran Canaria, we went on a bus tour where we stopped off at this beautiful Cathedral. Breathtaking. I recommend it to anybody and everybody.

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