The sanctuary and church of the Santissima Annunziata was built in 1320 near the sea and outside the walls of the city of Gaeta.
It was a place of worship attached to the hospital of the same name.
In 1536 the original Gothic church was partially demolished and restored to form part of the new city walls.
It was rebuilt in the Baroque style and today the church appears as an interesting union between the slender forms of the Gothic and the Baroque decorative elements in stucco.
The façade is surmounted by a small bell gable with a majolica clock and a second Gothic bell tower near the apse.
The interior is a play of contrasts between the white that covers all the Gothic and Baroque decorations and the gold with which the large altarpiece at the end of the church and two small balconies along the central nave are covered.
The single nave is covered by the original Gothic cross vaults then decorated in Baroque style and painted all in white.
A marble balustrade separates the area of the faithful from that reserved for the main altar.
The church ends with a rectangular apse and two wooden choirs dating back to 1674-1677.
The ancient pipe organ was built at the end of the 17th century and was also played by Alessandro Scarlatti.
To admire two canvases by Sebastiano Conca representing the presentation of Jesus in the temple and the Adoration of the Magi.
In this church there is the famous Golden Grotto or chapel of the Immaculate Conception which has its own independent entrance.
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