Naples Cathedral (Relics of St. Januarius)
A church holding relics of St. Januarius.
St. Januarius → Plan a trip hereThe Story
Naples Cathedral - the Duomo, formally the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary - is the home of the relics of St. Januarius (San Gennaro), bishop of Benevento and patron of Naples, who according to tradition was martyred near Pozzuoli around the year 305 during the persecution of Diocletian. The saint's bones rest in the Succorpo, the Renaissance crypt chapel beneath the high altar, where they were solemnly enshrined at the end of the fifteenth century. In the sumptuous Royal Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro, built by the city in thanksgiving after plague and eruption, two sealed ampoules are venerated as containing the martyr's dried blood, collected, tradition holds, by a Christian woman at his death. Since at least 1389, the people of Naples have reported that the contents of the ampoules liquefy when brought near the relic of the saint's head - an event awaited three times each year: on the feast of St. Januarius, September 19; on December 16, commemorating the city's protection during the 1631 eruption of Vesuvius; and on the Saturday before the first Sunday of May, recalling the translation of his relics. The archbishop presides at the rite, and popular tradition regards the liquefaction as a sign of the saint's continued protection of his city. The Church has never issued a formal ruling defining the phenomenon as miraculous, and scientists have proposed natural explanations; the Church permits and accompanies the devotion, which remains an occasion of intense prayer and civic faith. For pilgrims, the Duomo offers both this remarkable living tradition and the deeper reality it points to: the witness of an early bishop-martyr whose fidelity unto death has anchored the faith of Naples for seventeen centuries.
Church Recognition
St. Januarius is venerated by the universal Church, with his feast on September 19 on the General Roman Calendar; the Archbishop of Naples presides at the traditional rites of the blood relic, a devotion the Church permits and accompanies without having formally defined the liquefaction as miraculous.
Catholic Teaching
The veneration of the relics of the martyrs is an ancient and approved expression of Catholic piety (CCC 1674), honoring those whose witness unto death conformed them to Christ (CCC 2473) while directing all devotion ultimately to God.
Plan Your Visit
Practical
Additional Information
Pilgrims visit the Succorpo crypt with the saint's tomb and the Royal Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro; the great occasions are the feast on September 19, December 16, and the Saturday before the first Sunday of May, when the blood relic is exposed and the traditional rite takes place.
Go Deeper
The official site of the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro (https://cappellasangennaro.it) offers visiting information; see also the Catechism on relics and popular piety (CCC 1674-1676) and standard histories of the Naples Duomo and its patronal devotion.
Location
Visit the official website ↗ See it on the interactive map →Pilgrim Photos
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In the Area
Other sacred sites within 40 miles.