The Church of San Domenico Maggiore and its Dominican convent are deeply tied to the origins of Naples’ university, one of the oldest in the world, and to the legacy of the powerful royal dynasties that shaped European history.
Constructed between 1283 and 1324 under Charles II of Anjou (1254–1309) in the South Italian Angevin Gothic style, it embodied the Angevin ambition to establish Naples as a leading European capital. Under the Aragonese rulers, including Ferdinand I of Naples (1423–1494), it became a royal burial site, reinforcing its status as a political and dynastic emblem. Later, the church symbolised the enduring claims of the Spanish Habsburgs and Bourbons to Naples, as both dynasties descended directly from the Angevin and Aragonese lines. It also served as the original seat of the medieval University of Naples and is renowned for its association with Dominican scholars, including Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) and Giordano Bruno (1548–1600).
The Baroque sacristy is one of the church’s most significant spaces, containing 42 monumental funerary arches that house the remains of Angevin and Aragonese royalty, including King Ferdinand I. During the Spanish Habsburg and Bourbon periods, the church maintained its importance as a dynastic symbol. San Domenico Maggiore represented the continuity of power for the Spanish rulers and served as a political reminder of their deep ties to Naples.
