The church of Sant'Agrippino is the main parish church of Arzano, in the archdiocese of Naples, and belongs to the deanery of Casoria. In 1560 a larger building took the place of the original little church, to better meet the needs of the faithful; in the seventeenth century it was enlarged and given its side chapels. Already in the first half of the eighteenth century, however, church and bell tower were rebuilt from scratch. A remodelling followed in 1789, and the floor was redone twice, in 1850 and in 1884.
What to see
The façade faces west and has a small secondary wing on its left side. A cornice divides it into two registers: below, among the panels, the architraved portal with two small Ionic columns bearing a broken curved pediment; above, a window and, crowning it, the triangular tympanum in which an oculus opens. Attached to the church is the bell tower on a square base, marked by cornices: the belfry has a round-arched single-light window on each side and is closed by a dome on a drum.
The interior has a nave and two aisles, separated by piers bearing round arches. Above the pilasters runs a projecting entablature, and higher up the windows open. At the end of the hall the presbytery, raised by a few steps, is covered by a dome and closed by a flat wall.
Visiting
Opening and Mass times should be checked with the parish. In the presbytery the altar facing the congregation was added in 1970; its position was slightly changed in 2024.
Our editors' tip
As you go in, bear in mind what the first little church was like: a single nave, small, with three altars in all, one main and two at the sides. And perhaps it was not even dedicated to St Agrippinus: at first, it seems, it was named after the Blessed Virgin of Carmel, and today's name came at a later time.
