Churches and monuments · Sorrento

Church of the Carmine on Piazza Tasso, Sorrento

The yellow-fronted church overlooking Piazza Tasso: founded by the Carmelites in 1572, it holds a copy of the revered Madonna Bruna of Naples.

2 min read

The single nave with its side altars and, at the far end, the apse with the high altar

Photo: MentNFG, CC0

The yellow façade and bell tower of the Church of the Carmine, overlooking Piazza Tasso

Photo: Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 3.0

The copy of the Madonna Bruna on the high altar, framed by a gilded sunburst and angels

Photo: MentNFG, CC0

Anyone arriving in Sorrento comes across it almost at once: the Church of the Carmine, with its yellow façade and bell tower, overlooks Piazza Tasso, the town's drawing room. Many people photograph it in passing, but few go in. Yet a few minutes are enough to discover a bright, intimate church linked to one of the most heartfelt devotions of southern Italy, that of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

A 16th-century church rebuilt in the 17th century

The church is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel. It was founded in the second half of the 16th century, in 1572, when the Archbishop of Sorrento, Lelio Brancaccio, entrusted its construction to the friars of the Carmine Maggiore in Naples. Of the original building only the two piperno doorways survive, with square openings decorated with egg-and-dart and dentil mouldings: the church was damaged several times and was rebuilt in the 17th century, on a layout typical of that period.

What to see inside

The interior has a single nave with side altars. A few things are worth pausing over:

The apse, decorated with paintings devoted to the life of the Virgin: Saint Anne with the young Mary, the Assumption and the Annunciation.
The high altar, displaying a copy of the Madonna Bruna, the much-revered image whose original is in the Church of the Carmine Maggiore in Naples.
The Neapolitan-school paintings: on the right wall a Madonna and Child and a canvas of the Virgin offering the veil, with Saint Mary Magdalene, Saint Andrew and Saint Teresa of Ávila; another painting hangs in the Chapel of the Holy Martyrs.

Tips for your visit

The church stands right on the main square, so it is easy to fit into any walk: from here start Corso Italia, Via San Cesareo and Via Sant'Antonino, which leads to the Basilica of Saint Antoninus. It is a place of worship much loved by the people of Sorrento: go in quietly and suitably dressed, and avoid walking around during services. The Church of the Carmine is the starting point of our faith itinerary; after your visit, the cafés on the square and the restaurants in the centre are just a few steps away.