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San Pietro a Majella is considered one of the most significant examples of Angevin architecture in Naples. It was built at the wishes of Giovanni Pippino da Barletta, one of the knights of Charles II of Anjou and the one responsible for destroying the last Saracen colony on the southern peninsula, in Lucera. It was built in the early 14th century and was named for and dedicated to Pietro Angeleri da Morone, a hermit monk from Majella (near Sulmona) who became Pope Celestine V in 1294.
The church underwent a Baroque make-over by the Spanish in the 17th century, but 20th-century restoration attempted to "undo" that and to restore the building to its original Gothic appearance.
The interior has three naves, separated by pillars supporting Gothic arches, with nine lateral chapels, plus four on each side of the chancel, and transept.
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