The Catacombs of San Gennaro are perhaps the most important of the many sacred routes that can be found in Naples. The complex of the Catacombs of San Gennaro, which can be entered by the Basilica dell’Incoronata in Capodimonte, is in fact an underground cemetery area that dates back to the second century AD. The reference to the Patron Saint is due to the fact that, from 400 to 831, these Catacombs hosted his remains: since then, they had a massive expansion due to the great devotion of the city to the martyr who died in 305. The Catacombs are made of tuff, a material that is very malleable but at the same time particularly solid: this is the reason why these Catacombs have larger rooms compared to their Roman ‘sisters’. They have a two-tier structure, and today these two levels are called “lower catacomb” and “upper catacomb”. According to historians, they were the tomb of a wealthy Roman family who later donated it to the Christian community. The first remains to be kept in the Catacombs in the fourth century were those of Bishop Saint Agrippinus, the first patron of Naples: that’s when a cemetery Basilica was built on Saint Agrippinus’ tomb.

After the Basilica was built, the Bishop John I decided to move the remains of Saint Januarius into the cubicle of the lower catacomb. The remains of the Saint were kept in this cubicle until the Lombard prince of Benevento Sicone I, who besieged Naples in 831, seized them and brought them to his city (Benevento), which also was an episcopal see. With the loss of the Saint’s remains, an era of decay began for the Catacombs: only in the eighteenth century the cemetery area came back into vogue. It became indeed a must-see area for travelers who experienced the Grand Tour – the traditional trip of Europe that young aristocrats used to undertake – of which the main destination was Italy and, above all, Naples. Like many other underground areas of the city, the Catacombs were also used as a bomb shelter during the Second World War.

Once inside, you find yourself facing the oldest known portrait of Saint Januarius, dating back to the fifth century, which depicts the martyr between a girl and a woman. Going through a three-arches passage, you reach the large subterranean Basilica, carved in tuff; to follow, on the right, a frescoed cubicle with topical motifs. The upper Catacomb was expanded several times thanks to the attention aroused by the remains of Saint Januarius: two examples of the expansion are the Crypt of the Bishops, where the Bishops of the city were buried and which holds precious mosaics dating back to the fifth century, and the majestic three naves Basilica Adjecta. The lower catacomb, instead, developed around the Basilica of Saint Agrippinus. The ceilings are up to 6 meters high and the area houses a large baptismal font built under Bishop Paul II, who took refuge in the Catacombs in the eighth century.
Today, thanks to the hard work of associations and cooperatives, the Catacombs of San Gennaro are included in a joint visit with the Catacombs of San Gaudioso. In January 2017 the Catacombs of Naples received the national award Riccardo Francovich, established by the Society of Medieval Italian Archaeologists.

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