The building built in 1627 under the name of New Santissima Annunziata, went to replace the old church of the late fifteenth century that, in 1626, was destroyed by a flood. This last one was built to replace the Old Santissima Annunziata or Extra Moenia. The current church is the result of restoration of early eighteenth century by Ferdinando Sanfelice who designed the monumental bell tower which stood beside the disappearance Porta Catena.
The church has the facade on Via Porta Catena enriched by two recesses shaped with marble, now without the statues planned by the designer Francesco Ragozzino, on either side of the portal surmounted by a round in bas relief representing the Annunciation; the door is embossed copper.
The marble main altar was built in the eighteenth century by Matteo Bottiglieri and Philip and John Ragozzino; by the first one you have the two monumental angels and cherubs places to the sides of the table. On the side altars there are two large paintings three meters high: A St. Francis of Paola by Luigi Montesano and St. Biagio Bishop, author unknown. By Pasquale Avallone there are the rounds of the side chapels and transept representing the prophets, made in 1913. Of significant importance is the wooden organ of 1880 in neo-Gothic style, the organ by Giovanni Battista De Lorenzi characterized by three ivory keyboards and a pedal board of twenty-seven pedals, originally planned for the Cathedral of Schio but arrived in 1888 in Salerno. The furnishings of the sacristy were made by master craftsman carver Saviotto in 1712 and designed by Peter Marc.
It was severely damaged during the fighting of the landing at Salerno in September 1943 and was partially submerged by the flood of Salerno in 1954. It was severely damaged during the fighting of the landing at Salerno in September 1943 and was partially submerged by the flood of Salerno in 1954. In 2007, although open for worship, had static problems, due to the infiltration of water, both the roof the bell tower: because of this, they built an iron roof above the roof. On 16 July 2008, due to a short circuit, the main behind altar went up in flames, completely destroying a wooden group depicting the Annunciation made during the middle of the last century.
The Monastery of San Benedetto
The Monastery of San Benedetto was built in the Longobard era, between the seventh and ninth century, near the eastern walls of the city of Benevento on a plateau called Hortus Magnus.
It was important in the Middle Ages, the establishment of the Medical School, as many Benedictine monks were also doctors and St. Benedict itself had established that at every convent was to be set up a hospital: in the monastery monks from other convents came often to train as doctors. The fifteenth century marked a lucky moment in which they were made several works of restoration and decoration and in 1581 the abbey passed into the hands of the congregation Olivetani. In the early nineteenth century the monastery was suppressed as a result of the laws enacted by Joseph Napoleon. The church, which was part of the Benedictine monastery, was later used as the Real Teatro and only in 1857 it was reused for liturgical use and a parish with the title of the Santissimo Crocifisso, resulting from the cross of Barliario, today in the Diocesan Museum. This crucifix is shrouded in legend that the magician Pietro Barlario saw the face of Christ on the Byzantine crucifix on which he was praying, after spending two days of penance for killing his nephews. In 1868 the church was used as a depot of the military district and it is only in 1965 that work began to recover the original structure, after the church was returned to the Curia.
