The Certosa di San Giacomo (Charterhouse of St. James) is the loftiest expression of Caprese architecture. It is a monastery that was built during the late Middle Ages which today houses a museum, a school and a library. It is open to the public and has a garden attached. The Certosa was founded between 1363-71 by Count Giacomo Arcucci, a nobleman of Capri and personal advisor to Queen Joanna I of Anjou at the Angevin court of Naples. It is said that Count Arcucci had sworn to build the monastery if his wish to have a male heir came true.

Later, the monks of the Certosino (Carthusian) order, well-looked upon by the Angevin and Aragonese courts, received large donations and became exceptionally rich, influencing the life of the island. With the arrival of the Spanish, a period of decline for the whole island also affected the monastery: it was the period in which raids by Saracen pirates became more frequent and destructive and not even the Certosa was immune, despite its well-defended position. In particular, it was damaged by fire in 1553 by the pirates Dorghut (here called Dragut) and Mustafa Pasha and required a large restoration programme as well as the construction of new fortifications.

Another period of well-being for the monks began following the tragic plague of 1656 that resulted in many bequests being made to the monastery by Capresi nobles who died during the epidemic. Following the suppression of the monasteries introduced by the Napoleonic government (during the "French Decade", 1805-15), in 1808 the monastery was closed and the monks sent away. The Certosa remained abandoned for more than a century up to the 1920 when, following a rebirth of interest in Capri from artists and intellectuals, the monastery underwent restoration at the hands of Chierici.  [ More...]