The Certosa di San Giacomo in Capri was founded between 1371 and 1374 on a piece of land between Tragara and the Castiglione by Giacomo Arcucci, Grand Chamberlain and secretary to Queen Giovanna I of Anjou, who was protectress of the Certosa di San Martino in Naples, founded a few years earlier in 1368. Queen Giovanna endowed the Certosa with many prerogatives, immunities and special favours, including large sums of money and feudal properties in the nearby towns of Castellamare di Stabia and Gragnano.
The two Certose shared similar origins, ideas, teachings and financial resources. However architecturally the Certosa at Capri more closely followed the plan of the other Carthusian monasteries in Southern Italy such as at Montecassino and Padula: an upper house for monastic life composed of a church, refectory, cloister, chapter room and prior’s residence; and a lower house for secular needs made up of guest and service quarters, workshops for artisans and for the production of agricultural products.
The Carthusian rule dictated the architectural design of the Certosa. According to the rule, monasteries were supposed to be situated in a desertum, that is a location far from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, entry to which was forbidden to anyone bearing arms, including soldiers and hunters, as well as fishermen and women. The requirement for a desertum on Capri was met by the small valley on one side and the steep slope and sea on the other, which created an isolated area to which access was controlled by a guard tower.
The complex was destroyed by fire and rebuilt following the incursions of the pirate Kair-ed-ddin, known as Barbarossa, which in turn were followed by those of Mustafa Bassa and Dragut in 1553. Nevertheless, the Order of St Bruno governed uninterrupted until 1808 when the monastery was suppressed by the Napoleonic French under Murat.

The return of the Bourbons to power in 1816 did not bring about a restoration of the complex to religious life. Instead it became a prison (“penal baths”) and its condition deteriorated. The Trappists expressed an interest in moving to the site but gave up after inspecting the property.

In 1871 after Italy had been unified, the military took over and for roughly 30 years used it as a prison until. In spite of vigilance by the authorities in charge, the Certosa was subject to serious damage and irresponsible alterations—a chapel was even used as part of the fortifications.

After 1901 the Certosa was no longer under the authority of the State. It attracted the attention of intellectuals such as Enzo Petraccone, Maxim Gorky and Edwin Cerio as well as government officials such as Adolfo Avena and Corrado Ricci. They were all concerned about the lack of attention given to the monastery and united in their desire to keep it from private hands.
The Certosa was in a state of complete abandonment up to and during the the First World War when it was used by the military. At the end of the war the officials in charge complained to the secretary of defense about the damages to the Certosa. In the state archives in Rome is found an account from April 1921 in which the Minister of Monuments and Art of Campania, Basilicata and Calabria recommends to the Director General about consigning the Certosa to the State, so that it would be under the auspices of a department of the federal government concerned about its preservation, with the Church officiating in its restoration. Urgent repairs were carried out on the theory that the building was a work of art which needed to be preserved as such.

The mayor of Capri asked for and received space in the Certosa to be used for a school in exchange for his assurance that it would be renovated for this purpose.

The first budget for renovation was signed by Gino Chierici on October 10, 1926.

In December 1931, during the Fascist era, the Mayor of Capri suggested to the Minister of Medieval and Modern Art of Campania that 300 paintings by the German artist Karl Diefenbach be moved to the Certosa. Diefenbach’s son was looking for a place where his father’s work could be stored and exhibited since the old atelier near the piazzetta where the paintings had been kept had to be vacated. The Certosa seemed a likely place for this as it was the only building on the island which could serve as a museum. The younger Diefenbach promised to donate several of his father’s works to form the centrepiece of the collection. The canvases were transported to the Certosa, but without any plan for their display. It took several decades before an exhibit of these paintings was to take place within the monastery walls. The Diefenbach Museum itself was not established until the 1970’s.

In 1936 the Ministry and theOrder of the Canons of Lateran reached an agreement to cede parts of the Certosa to the Order for a period of 29 years. The Order did not respect the agreements made respecting the upkeep of the building, and in 1958
Minister Pacini denounced the abuses perpetrated by the Order, such as illegal rents, raising chickens, and poor maintenance in general. He requested that the Treasurer of the Military repossess the complex and together with the Ministry of Antiquities and other interested parties establish a museum of archeology and art history.

The Canons were asked to submit a report outlining their position on the Certosa. In November 1959 the Order presented to the Ministry of Education a detailed report of their activity during the preceding 23 years, which included the opening of a school, restoration and payment of taxes. The Ministry of Education sought for an agreement satisfying both the needs of the Canons and the wishes of the Ministry to use the Certosa as a public library and a museum of antiquities.