Stemma Pignatelli (altorilievo)

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The altarpiece's grand altar features two marble slabs bearing the Pignatelli family crest in high relief. This noble Neapolitan, Sicilian, Apulian, Molisan, and Calabrian family has a Spanish branch, according to many authors, with origins tracing back to the Lombards. The Pignatelli crest is on a gold field featuring three black pots arranged in two stripes. Some scholars attribute the crest and surname to an epic episode: Landolfo, a general for King Roger the Norman in the East, emerged victorious from the assault on Constantinople's imperial palace with three silver pots (or vases) darkened by smoke, which he then attached to his pike as a symbol, later becoming the family coat of arms.