Duomo di Napoli
نابولي
Naples Cathedral is the city's cathedral and the spiritual heart of Neapolitans. Dedicated to the Assumption, it holds the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro, where the relics of the patron saint are kept. Here, three times a year, the famous miracle of the liquefaction of the blood is renewed, awaited anxiously by the whole city.
The history of the Duomo
Naples Cathedral, dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta, was built between the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century at the wish of the Angevin rulers, on top of earlier early-Christian buildings. Over the centuries the cathedral underwent many alterations, partly because of earthquakes, which changed its appearance by blending Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. The present façade is neo-Gothic, rebuilt between the 19th and 20th centuries.
San Gennaro and the miracle of the blood
The Duomo is inseparably linked to San Gennaro, patron saint of Naples. The sumptuous Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro, richly decorated in Baroque style, holds the ampoules with the saint's blood and his reliquary bust. Three times a year, especially on 19 September, the city waits for the miracle of the liquefaction of the blood: if the blood melts, it is considered a good omen for the city.
The Basilica of Santa Restituta
Inside the Duomo is the Basilica of Santa Restituta, believed to be the oldest basilica in Naples, founded in early-Christian times. Here too is the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte, with some of the oldest mosaics in the Christian West. The layering of different eras makes the complex an exceptional record of the city's religious history.
Visiting Naples Cathedral
The Duomo stands on via Duomo, in the heart of the historic centre. Besides the cathedral and the Chapel of the Treasure, the adjoining Museum of the Treasure of San Gennaro is well worth a visit, holding jewels and priceless gifts offered to the saint over the centuries. A stop that sums up the faith and the deepest identity of Naples, on the city's treasure map.
