The Church is called “new” to distinguish it from the old church Santa Maria ad Palatium and was probably founded by St. Francis. It was built later during the Swabian period on the site of the castle ‘Maschio Angioino” and of a convent built in 1216. Charles I of Angiò wanted to build the new castle, so he demolished the convent and, on 10th May 1279, he gave friars the site where the present-day church is situated and where the ancient tower was built to guard the port. The convent and the church were built on the ancient structure in Gothic style. Three centuries after its construction, the church was almost completely destroyed because of some catastrophic events like earthquakes but, above all, the explosion of Castle St. Elmo armory, due to lightning on 13th December 1587. The church was re-built in 1596 and numerous artists from the Baroque period gave their contributions to its adornment; the altar designed by Cosimo Fanzago and the frescoes by Massimo Stanzione and Luca Giordano are renowned. In the historical convent there are also two cloisters; in the small one there are some gravestones from the church and paintings representing the life of St. Giacomo della Marca and several sepulchral monuments, including the one hypothetically attributed to Vlad III, alias Count Dracula.
From this small cloister you can go into the Sacristy and into the Ancient Refectory, where there is a beautiful fresco (a Calvary scene) realized by Bramantino.