The church of San Nicola is a Catholic place of worship in Giugliano in Campania: it stands on the Corso Campano, the main axis of the town, at the eastern edge of the historic centre.
What to see
The façade, with very sober lines, can be ascribed to the 19th century or the late 18th. The marble portal was assembled in the 17th century from reused ancient marbles from Cumae and leads into a spacious nave covered by a fine wooden coffered ceiling, opening onto the presbytery through a high round triumphal arch; the presbytery has frescoes and an altar in polychrome marbles of the 18th century. To the left of the entrance is a 16th-century tomb slab, with the recumbent figure of the deceased in relief, framed by the inscription and allegorical figures: it is hard to read because it is set against the wall in a horizontal position. A bronze door has been added in recent times.
A chapel dedicated to San Nicola is known from the 13th century, but the plan of the church recalls a model widespread in Naples in the 14th century, with a vast single hall and a rectangular apse covered by a vault. It was renovated between 1785 and 1795. The bell tower was rebuilt in its present position, in Neo-Renaissance style, at the end of the 19th century, as part of the urban works that led to the widening of the Corso Campano and the building of the tramway; the old bell tower dated from the Angevin period.
Visiting
The church is on the Corso Campano, at the eastern edge of the historic centre of Giugliano; opening hours and service times should be checked with the parish, because the sources consulted do not give them.
Our editors' tip
Look at the portal, made with reused ancient marbles from Cumae, and then look to the left of the entrance for the 16th-century tomb slab leaning against the wall.
