The Girolamini church, with is massive white marble facade, is situated one block from via Duomo and the cathedral of Naples. It is on of the most spectacular churches in Naples. In a city full of medieval and Baroque churches and monasteries, the premises that contain the church of the Girolamini constitute one of the most supremely important "religious areas" in the history of the city.

The complete grounds of the Gerolamini include not only the large church, but the vast monastic complex around the corner and directly across the street from the cathedral. Church and monastery are the result of construction from the 1590s on land donated to the disciples of St. Philip Romolo Neri (1515-1595) founder of the religious order known as the Congregation of the Oratory. The church is, thus, also known as San Filippo Neri. The church and monastery have undergone dramatic renovation through the centuries; the facade of the church, for example, is the work of Ferdinand Fuga, the great Neapolitan architect of the 1700s.

To find the much more interesting Pinacoteca di Girolamini, one has to go through the next door up via Duomo. This takes you into a courtyard, from which stairs on the right-hand side lead up to the Pinacoteca. One of Naples’ less-known attractions, the Pinacoteca contains an excellent collection of Neapolitan Renaissance paintings. Highlights are three portraits of saints by Jusepe de Ribera (San Pietro, San Paolo and San Giacomo Maggiore) in the end room, a pair of heads (Testa di Santa and Testa del Battista), one by Massimo Stanzione, one unknown, and, best of all, a beautiful Sacra Famiglia by Antonio Viviani. Niccolò de Simone’s Madonna col Bambino may be the only Madonna you’ll see with a moustache. Note that the hours of the Pinacoteca are more flexible than most.