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 il Monacone, è una statua decapitata, dove la testa è stata sostituita da un teschio.

 Il Monacone è illuminato da un raggio di luce che entra dall’esterno, dando una connotazione ancora più mistica al luogo. Inoltre, accanto alla statua di San Vincenzo Ferrer fanno la loro comparsa gli unici scheletri interi ben visibili all’interno del Cimitero delle Fontanelle. Si tratta dei nobili, giunti fino ad oggi intatti e ben vestiti, e che in vita erano Filippo Carafa, conte di Cerreto e di Maddaloni, e la sua consorte Margherita.

Le cose più importanti da sapere sul Cimitero delle Fontanelle

Alla fine dell’800, uno studioso avrebbe contato circa 8 milioni di ossa di cadaveri. Oggi se ne contano 40.000, ma si dice che sotto l’attuale piano di calpestio vi siano compresse ossa per almeno quattro metri di profondità, ordinatamente disposte all’epoca da becchini specializzati.

Il sito è stato per anni in stato di abbandono, venne poi messo in sicurezza e riordinato nel marzo del 2002, ma mai riaperto al pubblico se non per pochi giorni l’anno, come in occasione del Maggio dei monumenti. 

Il 23 maggio 2010 una pacifica occupazione degli abitanti del Rione Sanità ha convinto l’Amministrazione Comunale a riaprirlo. Da quel giorno il cimitero è realmente di nuovo accessibile. 

Il 29 luglio 1969 un decreto del Tribunale ecclesiastico però proibì il culto individuale delle capuzzelle, a causa dell’eccessiva paganità del culto, consentendo che fosse celebrata una messa al mese per le anime del Purgatorio e che fosse eseguita una processione al suo interno ogni 2 novembre, giorno della commemorazione dei defunti.

Attualmente il cimitero è chiuso al pubblico, in attesa di riapertura.

Curiosità sull’ossario più famoso di Napoli

Una delle sale del Cimitero delle Fontanelle, quella che viene chiamata il Tribunale, sembra essere il luogo in cui avveniva l’iniziazione dei giovani camorristi, che qui pronunciavano il loro giuramento, scendendo nella cava come uomini per poi “risorgere” alla luce del giorno come affiliati alla congregazione criminale.

Una delle scene più famose del secondo movie by Luciano De Crescenzo “Il mistero di Bellavista” è stata girata proprio all’interno del Cimitero delle Fontanelle. Si tratta della scena dove il dottor Cazzaniga viene inseguito dal nipote delle sorelle Finizio (interpretate dalle bravissime sorelle Fumo), il quale cerca di chiedergli disperatamente un posto di lavoro.