on the 24th/05 I went to the treasure of san Gennaro and the Naples
cathedral for a school trip, but let’s discover it.
The Treasure of San Gennaro is located in the Museum dedicated to the
saint, inside the Cathedral of Naples, and collects relics and
precious objects, which have become oracles of faith. The treasure
also includes statues and various silverware, which devotees have
jealously protected during the numerous attacks to the city like the
world wars. This makes the Treasury one of the things to see without a
doubt in Naples. Testimony of how much the Neapolitans consider San
Gennaro to be a close and comforting presence, as if he were a dear
neighbor, to be used in times of need but also when you just want to
talk a little.
The history of San Gennaro is rather tormented: it all began with a
simple courtesy visit to the deacon Sossio in Miseno, which in reality
turned into a terror. Sossio was arrested and shortly after also
Gennaro, due to the persecution initiated by the Emperor Diocletian,
then he was beheaded.
Tradition has it that, on the death of the martyr, his blood was
collected by a very devout woman who placed it in various cruets: a
story, between legend and reality, which increases the charm and
mystery that has always enveloped the saint and his life. It is also
said that the martyr was beheaded in Pozzuoli on a stone and that on
September 19 of each year, the day of his death, this boulder becomes
very bright red due to the martyr’s blood that melts. The great
devotion and veneration that people have for San Gennaro is closely
linked to his blood which is currently jealously preserved inside the
Cathedral of Naples, together with his bust, in which the bones that
seem to belong to his skull are located.
Down here some photos.
Foto 1: Naples cathedral
Foto 2: painting of San Gennaro
Foto 3: the golden chest of San Gennaro
Foto 4: a piece of the treasure of San Gennaro
Lorenzo De Simone, III A
