The plans for the church
were drawn up in 1622 by the Society
of Jesus (the Jesuits), and the church was opened
in 1665 after some years of interrupted construction. It
was originally dedicated to St. Francis Xavier (San Francesco
Saverio, in Italian) friend of St. Ignatius Loyola and
one of the members of the first company of Jesuits. The
interior of the church still displays numerous works of
art depicting the life and missionary activities of St.
Francis Xavier, including a —by today's ecumenical
standards— "politically incorrect" painting of Paolo de Matteis' The
Triumph of Religion over Heresy through St. Ignatius,
St. Francis Xavier, St.Francis Borgia and the three
Japanese martyrs, while Mohammed is cast down with the
Koran. Some prominent works have gone missing over
the centuries, including a painting by Salvator Rosa, or
have been moved to other premises (such as a painting by
Luca Giordano that is now at the Capodimonte Museum). The church was rededicated to San
Ferdinando when the Jesuits were expelled from Naples in
1767. The façade of the church has recently undergone
restoration.
For many years,
the church of San Ferdinando was thought to be one of
the many creations of Cosimo
Fanzago; however, a document in the holdings of
the San Martino museum in Naples signed by Giangiacomo Conforto
(1569-1631) shows that the original plan was by
Conforto. Fanzago's finished church differs only in some
small details.
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