miracle in naples
each year it defies science & reason
by Jill Terry
(return to Campania)

Every September 19 and the first Saturday in May, citizens of Naples gather at the Treasure Chapel, hungry for blood.

An annual vampire conference? Hardly. These anxious Neapolitans want to make sure that the otherwise dried blood of their long-dead patron saint, Gennaro, liquefies. And remarkably, every year, the brown, powdery substance transforms into the familiar red blood of a living being. Observers breathe a sigh of relief at the sight, for it means that the saint will continue to protect Naples from cataclysmic events, such as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the plague, earthquakes, and whatever else threatens continued health and happiness.

The origins of this event are rooted in Italy's rich history of saints. Beheaded on September 19, 305 AD, San Gennaro (who was Bishop of Benevento) was revered as a protector and martyr. On the day that the guillotine ended his life, legend states that an old man gathered up the saint's body and severed head and placed them in a special cloth. Meanwhile, a Neapolitan woman dried up the spilled blood with a sponge and filled a vial with it. Today, his blood is said to be preserved in two small glass balsamaries of different shapes (shapes that experts say do indeed correspond to those used in the fourth century). These bottles are stored at the Treasure Chapel in Naples, where their contents undergo hopeful scrutiny twice a year.

San Gennaro's devotees believed his powers of protection transcended death and, as a result, his body was transported and hidden from authorities several times over many centuries to ensure that his remains were never destroyed. Both church and state tried to replace San Gennaro with other men who could protect the city from earthquakes and eruptions, but they always failed to keep the city safe.

However, in 1980, when Naples fell victim to a devastating earthquake, Neapolitans did not curse their patron's lack of attention. Rather, they believed that because the Vatican Council II in 1964 had made the religious celebrations for San Gennaro obligatory just for Naples (and not for the rest of the country), their saint suffered a setback. Therefore, it was the Catholic Church, and not San Gennaro, who disappointed them. While celebrations take place in Naples each year to honor the city's patron saint, in New York City, residents of all nationalities gather in Little Italy to enjoy the Feast of San Gennaro, an annual street festival that Italian-Americans initiated in 1926. In 1996, Figli di San Gennaro (the children of San Gennaro) assumed administration of the festival, donating monies received to charities and Italian organizations.

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New York's Feast of San Gennaro offers authentic Italian foods, drink, games, and music. Held on Mulberry Street between Canal and Houston Streets, the event lasts approximately 11 days and nobody leaves hungry. Street vendors serve up delicious sausage sandwiches and assorted Italian pastries (cannoli is everywhere!) - you'll want to, and should, sample everything.