Cappellone di Gesualdo

The Cappellone (large chapel), also known as the "Church of the Blessed Sacrament", is a place of interest in Gesualdo, in Piazza Umberto I.

It was built by Domenico Ludovisi and his son Nicolò, who finished it in 1736. It is also known to the townspeople as the "Cupolone" (big cupola) and owes its name mainly to the upper part, the perfectly hemispherical dome. The building is unusual in that it has a square base, a stone façade with relief carvings, a cylindrical central part in which there are four aligned large windows, and a cupola at the top. The cupola, in turn, is surmounted by another smaller cupola resting on four pillars and topped by a cross. 

Leading up to the entrance of the large chapel is a wide staircase with nine travertine steps, built in 1842 by master stonemasons Pesiri of Gesualdo. The painting of the Palio, made to celebrate the reconciliatory meeting between Carlo and Emanuele Gesualdo, is displayed inside.

A historical-religious symbol of the square on which it stands, the Cappellone is still today a place dear to the Gesualdo community.