Church of St. Anne, Jesus and Mary in Bacoli

About this activity

The town of Bacoli, spread over the waterfront that runs along the entire coastline, is dominated by the Mother Church of St. Anne. Its Baroque façade and cheerful, muted colors stand out against the narrow streets and mansions that surround it. St. Anne's has played a fundamental role for the inhabitants of Bacoli, so much so that from the 17th century onward the day of its procession, which took place on the first Sunday in August, was the occasion to exchange good wishes for a new year.

Why visit the Mother Church of St. Anne

The Mother Church of Saint Anne is a really very important place of worship for the people of Bacoli. It is not only a church where Christian religious rites are celebrated, but a structure built and consecrated to a truly fundamental figure for the people of Bacoli. The church was built on the remains of ancient Roman structures, in the center of the main axis of the original 17th-century nucleus. La baroque facade is preceded by a wide staircase and is flanked by a tall bell tower with a spire dome. As soon as you cross the entrance, a central nave extends to the apse, traversed on either side by the characteristic colonnade that divides it from the other two secondary naves. Fluted columns with composite capitals seem to support the coffered ceiling with hexagonal panels that is embellished with stucco decorations. Already from the entrance one is invested by the depth of faith that the people of Bacoli have for the saint. At the back of the church, on the high altar, surrounded by polychrome marble, is a shrine that houses the statue of the Saint, which from there seems to dominate the entire structure. The statue is carried in a very important procession through the streets of the town every July 26. It is one of the most important, folkloric and popular festivals in the city.

St. Anne's

St. Anne is considered the mother of the Virgin Mary, patroness of all mothers and parturients who turn to her to receive the blessing of a childbirth happy, a healthy son and enough milk to be able to raise him. But not only that: being the mother of Mary, she guarded the Virgin as a jewel and is therefore the patron saint of goldsmiths and shopkeepers-protector of miners, carpenters, cabinetmakers and turners. She taught the Virgin to clean the house, sew, weave, and is therefore patroness of broom makers, weavers, tailors, makers and traders of household cloths and linens. The traditional feast in honor of the Saint is repeated every year amid folklore and religious rites.

The entire historic center of Bacoli is decorated with artistic illuminations. Stalls with delicious scents crowd the streets selling sweets and balloons. Then comes the long-awaited moment: that of the procession. The Effigy of St. Anne comes out of the Mother Church amid hymns and applause from the crowd. The marching band opens the procession and the statue, carried on the shoulders, goes through all the streets and alleys of Bacoli. Throughout the procession an incredible fireworks display is staged in honor of the Saint.

Historical background on the Church of the Assumption by the Sea

The church of St. Anne was erected between 1688 and 1692 at the behest of the Bishop by Pozzuoli for the inhabitants of Bacoli who were forced, in order to attend religious rites, to travel as far as Pozzuoli and Miseno.

To celebrate St. Anne, people from the farthest reaches of the country would arrive in Bacoli and, meeting after a long time, greet each other saying, "Thank God we saw another year!" But the traditional procession has been over time renewed and improved. In the beginning, two processions were held: the first on the Sunday before the actual feast, which reached to the beginnings of Via Roma on the side of Marconi Square. The second, which took place on the first Sunday in August, reached, on the other hand, as far as Baia.

To these two processions, in the early 1900s, a third one was added, desired by vine growers. These asked and obtained to venerate the Saint through a procession in order to receive the grace to save their vines from a disease that had attacked them. The procession, in fact, went through their fields. When they finally got the grace, the vintners gave St. Anne a bunch of grapes made of golden brass. This procession, once it became fixed, took place at the end of August, on the Sunday before the Monday on which the statue of St. Anne was placed in the church shrine.