Located in the area of Mergellina, in the Chiaia district, the Church of Santa Maria Del Parto is a jewel in the crown of Neapolitan history, as it houses the tomb of Sannazaro and the Nativity scene by Giovanni Da Nola. The very strong bond between the humanist and the Neapolitan monarchy led Frederick I to grant Sannazaro a pension of six hundred ducats and a piece of land in the area of Mergellina, on which a villa had already been built. The poet wanted to add a tower, and then start the project of building two churches, one on top of the other. The building below was completed in 1525. Excavated in the tufa, it resumed the features of Virgil’s tomb. The sanctuary soon became a place of prayer for pregnant women or those wishing to conceive a child.
Although the frescoes have disappeared permanently from the underground church, the splendor of the place has transcended the inexorability of time, being narrated in the writings of travelers and art lovers. The fate of the upper church was, however, more controversial. Conceived as a private chapel dedicated to San Nazario, the building remained partially unfinished because of the plague epidemic and the political instability that gripped Naples during that delicate historical period. In 1529, Sannazaro donated the church to the Servants of Mary, who made sure that the work was completed, giving magnificent lustre to the sanctuary.
