Table of Contents
The Feast of San Gennaro falls the September 19 of each year and is one of the most heartfelt religious celebrations in Naples. It all revolves around the figure of San Gennaro, patron saint of the city. It is one of the most anticipated moments as it blends together faith, tradition, popular culture and folklore. To make everything even more impressive is the long-awaited miracle of the saint consisting of the blood liquefaction kept in an ampulla. Every September 19 in Naples Cathedral this mystical event is renewed, uniting the faithful in prayer.
Who was San Gennaro?
San Gennaro was a Christian bishop and martyr who lived between the third and fourth centuries CE. Although he is a highly revered figure, his life is shrouded in mystery and legend as reliable historical sources are rather scarce. We know that the saint was born in Benevento around 270 AD and was bishop in the same locality at a young age. During the Christian persecutions ordered by Emperor Diocletian, Gennaro was arrested for openly defending the Christian faith.
Tradition has it that around the year 305 AD. Gennaro went to Pozzuoli to visit imprisoned Christians, including Deacon Sossio. Here he was recognized as a Christian and also arrested, along with other comrades, and after several attempts at torture (including being thrown to the lions and into the furnace) he was beheaded near the Solfatara of Pozzuoli.
After his death, a woman named Eusebia would collect his blood in two ampullae, now kept in Naples Cathedral, and his cult is said to have begun before his sanctification in 1586.
You might be interested
The cult of relics
St. Gennaro's body was initially buried in Pozzuoli. Later, in the fifth century, his relics were moved to Naples, where a strong popular worship. Currently his body is kept in the Naples Cathedral Crypt, while the ampoules with blood are located in the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro. These contain a dark substance that tradition says is precisely the blood of the saint.
The miracle of San Gennaro With blood liquefaction takes place 3 times a year:
-September 19 (the day of his death).
-The Saturday before the first Sunday in May
-December 16 (in memory of the eruption of Vesuvius stopped in 1631)
When blood liquefies, it is considered a sign of good omen and protection for Naples. The ampulla remains on display for the next eight days, a period when the city comes alive with stalls, lights and numerous cultural and folkloric events. If, however, it does not melt, which rarely happens, the Neapolitan faithful interpret it as a omen of bad luck for the city.
Feast of San Gennaro in Naples: what to do in the city on Sept. 19
If you are lucky enough to be in Naples on the September 19 you absolutely cannot miss the festivities and religious ritual that has been gathering citizens for centuries to seek the saint's protection. On this day the Naples Cathedral opens early in the morning and closes around 9:00 pm. Between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. the Cardinal of Naples takes the ampulla from the Treasure Chapel and after the solemn mass ascertains the liquefaction of the blood by rotating theampoule. At the melting of the blood, the bells ring festively to the applause of the faithful in attendance.
Finding a church seat on September 19 can be difficult because of the large crowds attending the Cathedral, but you can still decide to visit this special place in the days before or after. To do so, you can purchase this admission ticket to the Museum of the Treasure of San Gennaro and the Royal Chapel in Naples.
The Treasure of San Gennaro di consists of a very rich collection which collects 700 years of Neapolitan history and includes priceless pieces such as the necklace of San Gennaro and the Mitra Gemmata. The visit includes the Treasury Chapel, which houses the saint's relics, and the High Altar, which instead houses the cruets of blood. Among other things you will also see wonderful silver and bronze sculptures of the co-patron saints and splendid 18th-century candelabra. The ticket also includes an audio guide available in many different languages.
Among other things not to be missed in Naples to fully understand the city's attachment to the saint is the great murals of 15 meters designed by the artist Jorit which depicts precisely San Gennaro. You can meet him along the facade of a building in the neighborhood Fork, near the church of San Giorgio Maggiore.
What are you waiting for? Come celebrate San Gennaro with us!
0 Comments