The convent
Located at the entrance to the historic center of medieval Gaeta, on the slopes of the majestic Temple of San Francesco, it has a history of over 400 years.
It was Andrea Del Sole's home who, in 1720, left it as a legacy to the Bishop of Gaeta, to create a retreat for damsels.
Subsequently, the Cloistered Nuns (Mantellate) found hospitality in the building and a boarding school was used for damsels belonging to the nobility and the Officers of the Military Garrison.
With King Ferdinand of Bourbon, a frequent visitor to the building, the complex and the attached church underwent a radical restoration in neo-classical style.
In 1907, the entire complex was purchased and managed impeccably by the Crucified Sisters Adorers of the Eucharist who, in 2022, sold it.
The wheel of the exposed
Object once used for children whose parents could not welcome them into their families, for one reason or another. An extreme gesture, negative indeed, but often driven by love as the parents could not support the children or give them a dignified life. In fact, sometimes, they were left with a symbol - a small element that could, in the future, lead the children back to their biological parents, thus leaving room for a possible happy ending.
the cloister
The cloister, with its majolica, has become an iconic symbol of the Palace. In the Neapolitan cabala (editor's note: as the link with the Bourbons is strong and is interlaced with a good part of the history of the former convent) water indicates abundance, fertility, both signs of positivity and serenity.
The hosts laboratory
The congregation of the Crucified Sisters Adorers of the Eucharist was founded in Naples in 1885.
In the convent, the nuns dedicated themselves to the cult of the Eucharist: they made hosts and took care of childcare.
The overview of the church
The church stands on an 11th century place of worship, dedicated to San Gregorio Magno. Rebuilt in the 14th century in Gothic style, it became a seminary in 1762 and a Mantellate convent in 1841; it was managed by the Crucified Sisters Adorers of the Eucharist after various restorations and changes of ownership.
Today, it can be admired from a room in the convent.