The domes in piperno stone of San Giacomo degli Spagnoli in Naples

The church of San Giacomo degli Spagnoliwas built in monumental formin 1540 on a significant site in the city of Naples as a welfare institution. It was commissioned at the behest of Viceroy Pedro de Toledo with Spanish and Neapolitan nobles and Order of Santiago members, and constructed by State engineers. The 1820 renewal of the urban block which contains the church as well as successive revisions strongly altered the 16th century church and hid important parts of its structure, in particular the piperno stone elements. This paper carries out a recognition analysis of the original parts of the church, of which the piperno "scalopped" emispherical domes stand out. They cover the side aisles and the main chapels, and appear to be a unique construction solution within historical Neapolitan building practice.