Church of the Pietà dei Turchini, Naples

The orphanage and the church Pietà dei Turchini were built between 1592 and 1607 by the congregation of the Oratorio dei Bianchi. The institution took in abandoned children and the name of the church referred to the white clothes that the children wore. In the conservatory next door, children studied music and singing, and among them was the great Giovanni Paisiello. The conservatory then merged with San Pietro a Majella. The church was completed in 1595 and extended in 1630. It is typical of religious buildings of the counter reformation. The chapels were decorated by Battistello caracciolo and Filippo Vitale as well as other figures from 17th Century Neapolitan painting.