 |
| Bones of San Gennaro |
The Christian martyr and patron saint of Naples – San Gennaro, or St Januarius – lost his head when the Romans executed him in nearby Pozzuoli around 305AD. But his remains have refused to die...
They were preserved for 500 years in Neapolitan catacombs (of which more in another post soon) until the body was purloined by the nearby rival city of Benevento.
The head, however, stayed behind in Naples and the body was finally returned there to join it in the 15th century. The remains of both are reckoned to be housed in the city's Cathedral – along with phials of the saint's blood, collected by a devotee when the original decapitation took place.
The bones are – rather indecorously – displayed in a bin in the Cathedral crypt, while the skull is said to be contained in a bust of the saint, in a chapel off the main part of the church.
But it's the blood of San Gennaro that is the big deal...
On assorted holy days, the blood is brought closer to the remains of the head and the solid dark mass turns into liquid red blood. It pretty much happens without fail... and reassures the faithful of Naples that their saint is still with them and still capable of bringing about miracles.
I hesitate to be cynical about this – especially as I've just read The Mystery of Naples, a 1909 book by Edward P Graham devoted to debunking all the non-miraculous explanations for the liquefaction that have been forward by the many doubters.
But methinks he may protest too much...
No comments:
Post a Comment