Santa Maria La Nova

Santa Maria la Nova is a Renaissance style, now-deconsecrated, Roman Catholic church and monastery in centralNaples. The church is located at the beginning of a side street directly across from the east side of the main post office, a few blocks south of the Church and Monastery of Santa Chiara. Today the adjacent monastery is a meeting site and hosts the Museo ARCA of modern religious art. Since the early 13th century, a Franciscan monastery, named Santa Maria ad Palatium had existed nearby, but by 1268, was demolished in order for Charles of Anjou decided to build his Castel Nuovo (new castle), or Maschio Angioino. By 1279, the Friars were granted this site to build a new church, hence la Nova. Initially constructed in Gothic style, the building was battered by Naple's frequent earthquakes but also suffered gravely from an explosion originating from Castel Sant'Elmo on December 13, 1587. This last episode prompted reconstruction in 1596-1599, as announced in a cornice inscription, leading to the facade we see today, designed by Agnolo Franco Typical of Franciscan churches, the facade has a sober and simple restraint, accessed through a staircase and balustrade. Vlad Tepes III was known for ruling 15th century Eastern Europe with a bloody fist, earning the nickname "The Impaler" for his pioneering work in the art of torture. His bag of terrifying tricks included strangulation, burning, cutting off noses and ears, mutilation of sexual organs, scalping, skinning, exposure to the elements or to wild animals and boiling alive. But his favorite method of punishment was, obviously, impaling his enemies on giant stakes outside of the city, a warning to anyone who dared challenge his rule. Oh yeah, and he did all of this to protect Christianity in Eastern Europe. What a swell guy!  His gruesome tactics, coupled with a pervasive rumor that Vlad drank the blood of his enemies, has long been thought to be the inspiration for Bram Stoker's 1897 novel "Dracula". While Vlad's reign of terror is well-documented, no one could ever figure out exactly what happened to him. In 1476, The Impaler suddenly disappeared during battle, never to return. Many sources claimed that Vlad was killed, but a few reports mentioned the notorious ruler being hauled away in chains. Now, a group of researchers believe that Vlad was ransomed to his daughter, who had married a Neoplitan nobleman, and lived the rest of his days in Naples, Italy where he was buried in a church. Erika Stella, a student who was writing her disseration on Naples' Piazza Santa Maria la Nova Church, uncovered a curious headstone that experts are saying belongs to Dracula himself. Raffaello Glinni, a Medieval history scholar, noticed that that tomb is covered symbols representing the House of the Transylvanian “Carpathians,” something very out of place in a crypt full of Italian noblemen. So naturally, the researchers are appealing to the authorities for permission to open the grave, releasing Dracula from his ancient slumber where he'll reinstate his bloody reign of terror on an unsuspecting world. Or, you know, maybe just prove their hunch. But honestly, is it really worth the risk? -Roadtrippers