Naples is celebrating for her beloved San Gennaro, protector and patron of the city, which the Church remembers every year on 19 September. The love of the parthenopei for the venerated saint it is visceral, an ancient cult that has centuries-old roots.
San Gennaro, the origins
According to historians the term Ianuarius it would be the real name of San Gennaro; his family, descended from the Roman nobility Gens Januaria, sacred to Janus, the two-faced god, moves from Rome to Campania. Also according to historical sources Gennaro was born in 272 but there are no certainties about his birthplace. Some say he was born in Benevento, where he then becomes bishop, there are those who say he was born in Napoli.
Even about his family there is no certain information: according to some he was born poor and orphaned of a mother. Due to the extreme poverty of the family, his father sent him as a child to work as a pig keeper. At this juncture he meets an ascetic monk and understands that this is the right man who can help him in his education. Further information on the life of San Gennaro can be found in the Bolognese Proceedings and in Proceedings Vatican.
San Gennaro, the martyrdom
In the XNUMXth century, during the persecution of Christians by the emperor Diocletian, Gennaro who is bishop of Benevento goes to visit the faithful in Pozzuoli. Dragonzio, then governor of Campania, orders that Gennaro and his Christian followers be cut off the head. This is how Gennaro is near the Forum Vulcani, the current Pozzuoli solfatara beheaded in the year 305.
The body of San Gennaro was buried in the Neapolitan catacombs of Capodimonte, after staying for a little over 100 years in another place: the Agro Marciano. The popular veneration of the bones of the saint begins in the catacombs, and over the years he becomes the de facto protector of the city.
San Gennaro and the relics kept in the cathedral of Naples
For 325 years the saint's bones remained in Benevento, before being transported to the safe refuge of Sanctuary of Montevergine where, since then, the icon of "Slavona mother". In 1480, the relics of San Gennaro were found in the Sanctuary of Montevergine under the main altar, thanks to the cardinal John of Aragon. A few more years passed and, in 1497, the relics of the beloved saint finally returned to Naples thanks to the Carafa family.
Cardinal Oliviero Carafa, to worthily house the remains of San Gennaro, had a crypt in Renaissance style: the Succorpo Chapel. In Naples the dominations of Normans, Swabians, Angevins followed, but the cult of San Gennaro became stronger and more deeply rooted especially among the people. King Charles II of Anjou had the gold and silver bust made that houses the bones of the skull. The silver case, in which to keep the cruets with the blood, was commissioned by the sovereign Roberto D'Angiò.
The miracle of blood
In the cathedral of Naples are kept the bones and also two very ancient ampoules containing the presumed blood of the saint. According to what is narrated in the annals, the precious liquid was collected by a woman named Eusebia immediately after the martyrdom of San Gennaro. The ampoules are exhibited for the veneration of the faithful three times a year: the Saturday before the first Sunday in May, September 19 and December 16.
These are three important dates that are now part of the most authentic and genuine expression of Neapolitan popular piety. Often, when the ampoules are exposed, we witness the phenomenon of the liquefaction of the saint's blood. An event considered by the faithful to be a real one miracle. The first liquefaction of the blood, according to historians, takes place in August 1839. The Chronicon Siculum tells that during the celebrations for the feast of the Assumption, the ampoules containing the saint's blood were exposed. Suddenly the solid blood becomes liquid, arousing great wonder among the religious and among the people of God. Over the centuries the 'miracle' has always been repeated.
When the liquefaction did not occur, according to popular belief it was a fatal sign for the fate of the people and the city. Again in the popular sense, even if liquefaction is too rapid, this is not a good sign. Generally the blood melts in the presence of many faithful gathered in the cathedral and gathered in prayer. There 'miraculous liquefaction' she is generally greeted by the waving of a white handkerchief and by the thunderous applause of the Neapolitans, more and more devoted to their beloved saint.
After seventy years the lights return for the patron saint's day
After many years the lights return to Naples for the feast in honor of the most venerated patron. For eight days via Duomo is lit up at the same time for the celebrations in honor of San Gennaro. That of the illuminations is an ancient tradition that had been lost over time. The last time the city was illuminated on the occasion of the feast of the saint was before the major bombings during the Second World War.
This year the cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, asked the city to do more for the feast dedicated to the beloved patron. His appeal was accepted by the Chamber of Commerce of Naples who had lights installed in the streets, financing the whole initiative. Definitely a good news for the whole city and for tourists who in these days have been able to admire, in the evening, a joyfully and wonderfully illuminated Naples.
(Photo Facebook Church of Naples, Feast of San Gennaro)
