San Giuseppe dei Teatini
In 1612, the Teatini, religious order founded by St. Cajetan, they built a Church on the site in which was St. Elias's Church at Jewish Gate, consecrating it to St. Joseph. The building, in Baroque style, is very rich and sumptuous. A facade is one of the the palaces of the so-called "Quattro Canti" in Vigliena Square, with the largest dome easily visible from many parts of the city. You enter the Church through a portal set amongst marble columns, with a niche containing the marble statue of St. Joseph, at whose feet is a shield bearing carved ax, symbol of the Carpenters. The interior, fully clothe fine marble, consists of a Latin cross, twelve arches with plumes frescoes depicting the Apostles, divide the Church into three naves. The nave has a beautiful walnut pulpit, adorned with gold statues; along the aisles, open chapels, each of which is a masterpiece in its own right: decorated with paintings, sculptures, polychrome marbles and frescoes surrounded by stucco. The main altar is made of black marble with semi-precious stones and bronzes; the crucifix is made of ivory and bronze agate. Very valuable frescoes by Flemish Borremans and the fonts in stone. Legend has it that within the Church, as well as visit the crypt, which is down by a marble staircase, there is a "secret" crypt which houses a fountain with miraculous waters.
