Church of St. Sebastian of the Mount of the Dead

A church known by the popular name of the Morticelli of 16th-century origin, with the characteristic skeletons adorning the facade and as a perennial “memento mori”.

A church famous among Salerno residents as the Church of the Morticelli, due in part to the decoration with skeletons on the facade, a decoration of clear Counter-Reformation inspiration. The church is one of the few late Renaissance examples in the city with the central plan topped by a dome.

Edited in memory of the end of a pestilence that struck Salerno, it has undergone many variations that have not, however, altered the church’s octagonal layout, which has suggested the pre-existence of a baptistery.

The entrance portal, of 16th-century layout, is the most significant element of the building.

In 1615 it became the seat of the Confraternity of the Mount of the Dead, dedicated to prayers for the souls in Purgatory.

Today the church is home to the SSMOLL (San Sebastiano del Monte dei Morti Living Lab) space, a creative workshop dedicated to the city of Salerno and run by the BLAM collective, and is open to the public for cultural events.