Do you know the history of the bell tower of the Church of the Madonna del Lauro?

published on 19/10/2023

The bell tower of the Church of the Madonna del Lauro, right at the entrance to the Sorrento Peninsula, seems to dominate the entire plain of Sorrento Coast with its 41 meters of height. It is not twice as high as that of Sorrento (perhaps 8-9 meters more), but with its majesty it is certainly the most beautiful, the most significant and perhaps the most full of history, if only for the story of its troubled construction.

The year 1588 brought a serious cause of anger and disappointment to the nobility and notables of Sorrento, who saw something materialize that they could not accept in any way. 

In Meta, the bell tower of the Madonna del Lauro was being built and as the work progressed it became more and more evident that, in the end, it would be higher than that of their Cathedral.  

The protests and appeals to the Mayor of the University of the Plan and to the Elected of the Meta tertiary were of no avail, day after day the construction went on and the upward momentum seemed unstoppable. Only when the people of Sorrento realized that the appeals and protests had been useless, did they turn to the Viceroy to stop once and for all that intolerable act of arrogance and pride. 

From 1586 Naples was administered by the Viceroy Don Juan de Zuniga, Count de Miranda. The clash between the two communities, at first only verbal, in Meta was degenerating into real street demonstrations, so much so that, in order to assess the state of things and issue a judgment, the Viceroy was forced to send Don Alfonso Mendoza to the site who, after careful examination, granted the continuation of the work for the construction of the bell tower.