Opera house as wealthy patrons and it continues to have a large number of working opera houses such as Teatro Massimo in Palermo (the biggest in Italy), Teatro di San Carlo in Naples (the world's oldest working opera house) and Teatro La Scala in Milan. In contrast, there was no opera house in London when Henry Purcell was composing and the first opera house in Germany was built in Hamburg in 1678. In the 17th and 18th centuries, opera houses were often financed by rulers, nobles, and wealthy people who used patronage of the arts to endorse their political ambition and social
Santa Maria la Scala are a number of paintings from the school of Solimena. Next to the sacristy is an altarpiece depicting "St Matthew" by Antonio Pascucci. The canvases in the second and third chapels on the right, depicting Madonnas with "Saints Francis and John the Baptist", and with "Saints Anthony and Phillip" were painted by Nicola de Mattheis. The third chapel also has a canvas depicting the "Resurrection" by Paolillo, a pupil of Andrea di Salerno. The first chapel on the right has a St Anthony by the school of Massimo Stanzione. Santa Maria la Scala Santa Maria la Scala is a Baroque