The Fontanelle Cemetery

About this activity

From necropolis pagan and cemetery Christian, in the heart of the Sanità District, between Via Foria and the hill of Capodimonte, Naples is home to one of its most striking places: the Fontanelle Cemetery. 

The relationship Neapolitans have with religion, death, the dead, fate, the lottery, and luck can be understood by visiting this ossuary, covering more than 3,000 square meters, in which more than 40,000 human remains are preserved.

Why visit the Fontanelle Cemetery

The Fontanelle Cemetery is an important piece of the soul of Naples. It is not unusual for a Neapolitan, when experiencing a difficult situation, to turn to the souls of the Purgatory, thus coming to create a special synergy between the world of the living and the world of the dead. The souls of the dead cannot be asked for miracles, since they are not saints and therefore they cannot intervene in such an exceptional situation. It is possible to turn to them for certain graces closely related to the everydayness of existence, thus what has to do with marriages, children, work or health.

Excerpt from "The Belly of Naples by Matilde Serao"

"This hodgepodge of faith and error, of mysticism and sensuality, does this external worship so pagan, this idolatry, frighten you? Do you grieve for these things, worthy of savages? And who has done anything for the conscience of the Neapolitan people? What teachings, what words, what examples, have you thought of giving to this people so expansive, so easy to conquer, so naturally enthusiastic? In truth, from the deep misery of its real life, it had no other comfort than in the illusions of its own imagination: and no other refuge than in God".

History of the Fontanelle Cemetery

Fontanelle Cemetery is located in one of the most historically rich neighborhoods of Naples: the Sanità. It was first established as a Greek necropolis, just outside the ancient city walls of Naples. Only later was it transformed into a Christian cemetery, and the yellow tuff quarries on the hill of Materdei present in the area were also used to give dignified burial to those who could not afford it.

It was in 1656, the year of the great plague which particularly affected the Kingdom of Naples, and in 1836, the year of the cholera, that the place was used more as a repository for corpses. The plague generated an apocalyptic scenario, to say the least, with corpses scattered around the city, garbage and various diseases spreading rapidly. The use of the quarries made it possible to remove the dead from the city and take the right measures to eradicate the plague as well. So, since 1656 the Fontanelle Cemetery has housed the bones of the graves found in the reclaimed churches following the arrival in Naples of Joachim Murat, and later also welcomed those resulting from the cholera epidemic of 1836.

Unfortunately, due to the virtually nonexistent sewage system, following a flooding of the quarry, the remains were brought to the surface, creating a gruesome spectacle. Only after that misfortune was it decided to give the bones a disposition, build an altar and officially recognize the quarry as an ossuary.

The rite of the pezzentelle souls

In the Fontanelle Cemetery, a special ritual, called the rite of beggar souls  or poor souls, which involved the adoption and accommodation in exchange for protection of a skull, called shawl, to which corresponded a'abandoned soul, called pezzentella for that reason.

The care of the skulls present in the Cemetery has very little to do with the Catholicism and goes into that strange mixture of sacred and layman that pervades the entire Neapolitan tradition.

Devotees would choose a skull, clean it, and build a shrine with tealights and rosaries. They would begin to pray for the chosen soul, which, through dreaming, would manifest itself to the devotee. The spirit would ask for some prayers to ease the pains of purgatory, the devotee in return asked for a pardon. If the grace happened, the skull was placed in a more protected place: a tin box for those who did not have availability, glass cases or actual loculi for those who could afford it.

If grace did not come, the skull would return along with all the others and another would be chosen with which the same rigmarole would begin. Tradition has it that when the spirit performs the grace, the skull begins to sweat, thus indicating its intercession in the world of the living. In fact, the high rate of moisture of the quarry causes droplets of condensation On the skulls, making them look sweaty.

The most famous capuzzelle

There are some real souls favored by Neapolitans and "specialized" in certain kinds of miracles, here are some of them. 

Captain's skull, the beloved of the devout

The captain's skull is lying in a glass case and, unlike the others, it is always perfectly polished. There are several stories revolving around the skull, but surely the most famous one is that of the two newlyweds. The legend tells of a young bride-to-be who was very devoted to the Captain's skull and often went to pray to it and ask it for graces. Once her fiancé, skeptical and suspicious of his future wife's attention to that skull, decided to accompany her and brought with him a stick of bamboo which he used to drive it into the skull's eye, while, mocking him, inviting him to attend their upcoming wedding. 

On the day of their wedding appeared among the guests a man dressed as carabiniere. Intrigued by such a presence, the groom asked who he was, and the groom replied that he himself had invited him, adding that he had even blinded his eye. Having said this, he undressed and showed himself for what he was: a skeleton. The newlyweds died on the spot. 

Legend has it that the remains of the newlyweds are still preserved in the first room of Fontanelle Cemetery, under the statue of Gaetano Barbati. 

Donna Concetta: 'a capa che sweat

The special feature of this skull is its polish. Most likely this is because the skull better collects moisture from the underground place, which has always been interpreted as sweat. According to tradition, it also woman Concetta lends itself to the granting of graces. To test whether this will happen, simply touch it and see if one's hand gets wet. It is said that when the capuzzella appears particularly wet, it is because the deceased is granting a prayer. The skull, placed inside a wooden case and unstained, is located on the far left in one of the branches of the priests' aisle.

The Monacone and the nobles: the statue of St. Vincent Ferrer

St. Vincent Ferrer, better known as the Monacone, is a decapitated statue, where the head has been replaced by a skull.

 The Monacone is illuminated by a ray of light coming in from outside, giving an even more mystical connotation to the place. Also, next to the statue of St. Vincent Ferrer make their appearance the only whole skeletons clearly visible inside the Fontanelle Cemetery. These are the nobles, who have come to this day intact and well-dressed, and who in life were Philip Carafa, count of Cerreto and Maddaloni, and his consort Margaret.

The most important things to know about Fontanelle Cemetery

In the late 1800s, one scholar reportedly counted about 8 million corpse bones. Today, 40,000 are counted, but bones are said to be compressed at least four meters deep under the present floor level, neatly arranged at the time by trained gravediggers.

The site was in a state of neglect for years, was then secured and rearranged in March 2002, but never reopened to the public except for a few days a year, such as on the occasion of the May of Monuments. 

On May 23, 2010, a peaceful occupation by the residents of Rione Sanità convinced the City Administration to reopen it. Since that day the cemetery is truly accessible again. 

On July 29, 1969, however, a decree of the ecclesiastical court prohibited the individual worship of the capuzzelle because of the excessive paganism of the cult, allowing a mass month for the souls in purgatory and that a procession was performed within it every November 2, the day of commemoration of the dead.

The cemetery is currently closed to the public, pending reopening.

Fun facts about Naples' most famous ossuary

One of the rooms in the Fontanelle Cemetery, what is called the Court, appears to be the place where the initiation of young people took place camorrists, who pronounced their oath here, descending into the quarry as men and then "rising" into the light of day as affiliates of the criminal congregation.

One of the most famous scenes in the second movie by Luciano De Crescenzo "The Mystery of Bellavista" was filmed just inside the Fontanelle Cemetery. It is the scene where Dr. Cazzaniga is chased by the nephew of the Finizio sisters (played by the very talented Fumo sisters), who desperately tries to ask him for a job.