Founded in 1521 by the visionary Maria Lorenza Longo, this place was established out of a vow of gratitude to welcome those who had lost all hope—the "incurables," often afflicted with the "French disease" (syphilis) that was devastating the city. But its mission soon became universal: an immense citadel of charity that, over the centuries, would become one of the most prestigious medical schools in Europe.
To walk through its courtyards today is to feel the echo of that history. But the secret heart of the complex, its most luminous treasure, is the Historic Pharmacy.
To step inside is not to visit an old apothecary's shop, but to enter a theater of knowledge. It is an absolute masterpiece of the Baroque and Rococo, an environment that has remained untouched by time. One's gaze is lost among the monumental, precious-wood shelves, which house over 400 precious majolica vases (albarelli and idrie), masterpieces created by Donato and Giuseppe Massa, the same masters who decorated the Cloister of Santa Chiara. Here, where pharmaceutical science met the most refined art, beauty itself was part of the cure.
This citadel of knowledge also houses the Museum of Health Arts, a fascinating journey through the history of medicine. Among ancient surgical tools, anatomical machines, and wax anatomical models (ceroplastiche), one can feel the dedication of generations of doctors. It is an exhibit that culminates in the reconstructed office of Saint Giuseppe Moscati, the "doctor of the poor" who, right within these wards, indissolubly united science and charity.
The Incurables is not just a monument. It tells the story of how Naples was able to transform suffering into knowledge, and the cure into a masterpiece of art.
INFO
PHINE NUMBER: 081.440647
WEB: https://www.museoartisanitarie.it/
MAIL: info@ilfarodippocrate.it
