In the church of "Pio Monte della Misericordia" in Naples is exhibited the magnificent painting by Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi, 1571-1610), known as “The Works of Mercy�. "Pio Monte della Misericordia" was an old charitable institution (1610) in the historical centre of Naples.
The painting represents the corporal works of mercy in a single canvas where the figures synthesize with a few essential gestures all the essence of Christian charity expressed in the capacity of everyday people: feed the hungry, clothe the poor, assist the sick, give hospitality to foreigners. Owing to its inspirational, reformative character, it is considered the most important religious painting of the 17th century and began a new revolutionary trend in understanding art.