In 1613, local artisans separated from the sailors and fishermen's confraternity to form the Archconfraternity of Santa Maria di Costantinopoli. They constructed their oratory in 1626 directly against the church of Spirito Santo, opposite the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Ischia Ponte. Fully renovated in 1693 and historically used for council debates, the building has undergone only conservative restorations over the centuries, preserving its original structural layout.
What to see
Entrance to the complex begins at a marble staircase leading to a portal supported by two columns and an architrave with a tympanum. This outer gateway features a marble inscription bearing the confraternity's name, a niche housing a statue of the Virgin Mary, and a small bell tower topped with an iron cross. Beyond the portal lies an open courtyard facing the main façade, which is kept simple with an entrance doorway and a large window. Inside, the single nave is covered by a barrel vault divided into three frescoed compartments, while a choir loft occupies the counter-façade. Along the side walls, frescoed lunettes depict scenes from the Old and New Testaments above a wooden choir stall with two rows of seats. A shelf above the choir holds a 1787 canvas of the Heart of Jesus attributed to Giacinto Diano. The 18th-century main altar in polychrome marble incorporates a relief frontal depicting the Madonna of the Pomegranate, originally part of a funerary monument inside the nearby Aragonese Castle. The upper niche contains the 18th-century statue of the Madonna of Constantinople, crowned by the Vatican Chapter on 25 August 1794 following a petition submitted in 1787 by Bishop Sebastiano de Rosa. The sacristy preserves two additional paintings depicting Saint Anne with the Infant Virgin and the Vision of Saint Francis Xavier.
Visiting
Located in Ischia Ponte, the church is entered via its exterior marble steps and open courtyard. Inside, visitors can observe the single-nave interior, the frescoed vaulting, the 18th-century marble altar, and the paintings housed in the sacristy.
Our editors' tip
Pay close attention to the base of the main altar: the marble panel showing the Madonna of the Pomegranate was salvaged from an old tomb monument that stood inside the Aragonese Castle before being reused here.