In the atrium is a copy of an ancient Greek bust; the original is currently in the
Palazzo San Giacomo. Now referred to as
Donna Marianna or the
Head ("Testa") of Naples, it was once found in the Piazza del Mercato ("Plaza of the Marketplace"). The bust was most likely once part of a sculpture depicting the Greek mythological
siren Parthenope, associated with the story of
Odysseus, and specifically associated with the craggy cliffs and islands in the
Bay of Naples. Over time the pagan bust became a symbol of the city, and paradoxically found itself protected inside a church. It was damaged and threatened with destruction during the periods after the Neapolitan Republic of 1647 and of 1799. In the latter period the bust came to be associated with
Marianne the symbol of the
French Revolution. ==Bibliography==