Caracciolo di Vico Chapel, located in the Church of San Giovanni a Carbonara in Naples, was commissioned in 1514 by Galeazzo Caracciolo di Vico (1430–1515), a prominent nobleman and military leader under the Aragonese crown. The chapel was completed in 1516, and following Galeazzo’s death, his son Nicolantonio Caracciolo (1460–1530) continued its development. Both were later buried in the chapel.
The interior features remarkable Renaissance artworks. The Epiphany altar (c. 1517) is attributed to Diego de Siloé (1495–1563) and Bartolomé Ordóñez (1480–1520), two Spanish sculptors who made significant contributions to Renaissance art in Naples. Funerary monuments for Galeazzo and Nicolantonio were created by leading Neapolitan artists, including Giovanni da Nola (1488–1558), Girolamo D’Auria (1576–1622), Giovanni Domenico D’Auria (1536–1620), and Annibale Caccavello (1515–1595). The Renaissance monuments blend beautifully with the later Baroque monuments created for the same Caracciolo noble family.
The chapel’s overall design reflects Roman Renaissance influences, particularly the work of Donato Bramante (1444–1514) and his Roman school. The marble coffered dome, topped with a lantern-like cupola, features a drum adorned with niches and windows, housing eight plaster statues of apostles. With geometric patterns echoing the dome, the marble floor leads circularly to the chapel’s centre. The style is reminiscent of Bramante’s Tempietto of San Pietro in Montorio (1502) and the Holy House of Loreto. Some scholars also identify connections to the work of Giuliano da Sangallo (1445–1516), illustrating how external influences shaped Renaissance architecture in Naples.
