From ancient Greco-Sannitic origins, Pozzuoli has witnessed a long history that has allowed it to observe the succession of great civilizations, each with its own traditions, cultures and religions.

However, not everyone knows that in Pozzuoli it is possible to walk in the footsteps of the Christian faith, where history and religion are intertwined in a unique and evocative experience.

The route starts from the port and goes all the way to the Solfatara, making a stop at Pozzuoli Cathedral, in the area that is now called the Puteoli Sacra. Ancient Puteoli was one of the most important cities of the Roman Empire also because of the presence of the wide gulf.

It was during the Roman period that this city developed: its port welcomed sailors and its major roads, Via Campana and Via Domitiana, were directly connected to Rome.

A crossroads of cultures and populations, the city had seen the emergence of one of the first Christian communities as early as the apostolic age, founded from Judaism during the first century.

The ancient roots of the Christianity were guarded by the faithful who resisted pagan religions and persecution by the great emperors until theSt. Paul's Landing in 61 that with his arrival strengthened the hope and the faith Puteolian community and Christians. Today it is one of the most widespread religions in the world.

The seven martyrs of Pozzuoli imprisoned in the Neronian Amphitheater

As a Roman colony and port, Pozzuoli was governed by the laws of the Empire. The Romans were polytheistic and strongly defended the existence of Jupiter and all other gods.

During Roman times the persecution of Christians reached its peak as attested in the puteolan martyrology.

Seven were the martyrs of Pozzuoli, killed in the early fourth century, during the empire of Diocletian. At that time Christians acted and met incognito, so as not to be discovered and persecuted by the Roman pagans.

The main figure in the story was the martyr San Gennaro who at that time was, for the Catholic community, bishop of Benevento.

The prelate went to Pozzuoli to meet with the faithful, accompanied by the reader Desire and by the deacon Festo.Learning of the visit, the deacon of Miseno, Sossio, he decided to set out to meet the bishop, his great friend and fellow believer. Discovered by the pagans he was denounced and arrested.

News of the arrest reached Desiderius immediately, who rushed to the prisoner's aid, and together with his fellow travelers, they too were discovered and arrested.

All prisoners were sentenced to death in theAmphitheater of Pozzuoli, where they would have been mauled by ferocious beasts (some of the sources report that they were lions, others bears).

On the day of sentencing, however, Gov. Dracontium Was forced to leave and was appointed his successor Timothy. The latter feared a rebellion by the large number of Christians who were hiding among the pagan people and could oppose the brethren's condemnation. Already among the people, the protest of the deacon of Pozzuoli did indeed arise, Procolo and his companions Eutiche and Acuzio.

So Timothy changed the sentence and ordered the prisoners to be beheaded in the year 305 near the Solfatara in Pozzuoli.

Even today in the Shrine of San Gennaro at Solfatara, built on the very site of his martyrdom, is preserved the stone on which, according to tradition, the saint was beheaded.

The story of the seven saints of Pozzuoli according to Catholic tradition

The tradition Catholic reports a different version of the condemnation and execution of the saints that we find evidence of in the canvas of Artemisia Gentileschi, kept within the Cathedral of Pozzuoli.

At the time of Timothy's succession and the arrest of Sossio, the saint was condemned to be sacrificed to the gods. Sossio strongly rebelled against this torture so Timothy ordered that he be burned alive by the flames of a furnace.

The order was carried out but Sossio, for miracle, he remained unharmed. Timothy, furious, gave yet another order. Sossio was condemned to the horrible torture of the eculean: his body would be placed on an instrument and pulled forcefully in all directions until the nerves of the body were all torn.

Learning of all these woes, St. Gennaro rushed to visit on behalf of their Church. Timothy learned of their arrival and had the travelers captured for questioning. Once they admitted that they were Christians and wanted to assist their brother Sossio, they were chained to Timothy's chariot to Pozzuoli, where they would be fed to the beasts in the amphitheater.

Another miracle occurred in the arena: St. Gennaro made his blessing and the ferocious beasts, once freed, ran toward the group of captives. Instead of mauling them, the animals crouched at their feet and licked them in an act of reverence.

This was the reason why Timothy was forced again to change the order. The martyrs were led to the square that stood near the Solfatara, to be then beheaded. St. Gennaro, passing by the governor, prayed to God to punish that evil man. Timothy went blind and immediately stopped the execution.

In great astonishment and repentance, he asked St. Gennaro to forgive him and to pray to God to restore his sight. Timothy immediately regained his sight and five thousand pagans were converted to Christianity.

The tyrant, however, could not disobey Emperor Diocletian's laws, so in spite of everything, he ordered the death sentence to be carried out immediately.

The bodies of the saints were taken by the people. The Christians of Pozzuoli took the bodies of Saints Eutyches and Acutius along with what would shortly become the city's patron saint, St. Proculus.

The bodies of St. Festus and St. Desiderius, however, were taken by the Beneventans while that of St. Sossius was taken to Misenum.

That of San Gennaro was first taken to Benevento, only to be moved later to the Naples Cathedral, where the two glass cruets with the saint's blood are also kept.

Other persecutions against Christians

Before establishing itself as the largest religion worldwide, Christianity has evolved in step with the greatest civilizations, holding its own against violence and persecution. From its earliest origins it has been opposed in every way by being repressed and banned by every means.

As evidenced by the gospel writings of the New Testament, Christian communities were persecuted by Jews in Jerusalem and Palestine so much so that many Christians were forced to flee these lands, such as the apostles Peter and Paul.

The Christians, however, did not find life easy elsewhere either. Fleeing the Asian lands, they soon found themselves facing the powerful Roman civilization that settled in the extended Euro-Mediterranean area.

The Romans could not tolerate a religion other than their own being professed in their empire. They, too, therefore, implemented a policy of harsh repression against Christians. During Nero's reign, Christians were accused of starting the devastating fire in Rome, and at the emperor's behest the apostles Peter and Paul were martyred and killed in 64 CE.

Thereafter, Christianity continued to spread illicitly. In accounts by the most celebrated historians of the time, such as the texts of Pliny the Younger, we read that when a person was accused of professing Christianity, he was tortured and interrogated until death if he did not deny his religion.

Other episodes of persecution were those of Emperor Decius, who in 250 forced every citizen of the Roman Empire to profess paganism, and that of Diocletian, who in 303 enacted the "great persecution," which claimed thousands of victims.

During the war between the Persians and Romans in 338, Christians were still persecuted. With the edict of Milan, wanted by the emperor Constantine in 313, Christianity was recognized in Roman lands as a licit religion. Therefore, the people of Persia began to persecute Christians in their territory because they saw them as friends of the Roman people and therefore potential traitors.

The same happened in the lands of the Visigoths and Vandals.

At the time of the Arab conquests, however, Christians were allowed to profess their religion but were still discriminated against socially as well.

A long history of wars and persecution that lasted for many more centuries but nevertheless failed to hinder or move the faith of believers.