Archaeological park

Catacombs of San Gennaro

The catacombs of Capodimonte, dedicated to San Gennaro, patron saint of the city, are located in an area of the city (between the villages of the Virgins and Sanità) characterised since ancient times by the presence of cemeterial poles: the necropolis of Neapolis first, then the catacombs, refuge and burial place of early Christians. They were dedicated to the saint when the bishop of Naples John I, between 413 and 431, brought Gennaro's relics to the city from the first tomb, located in the agro Marciano (in the Phlegraean area). They are divided into two levels: the first, called the lower vestibule (3rd-4th century), is the result of the enlargement of a pagan tomb and has a uniform and regular structure. In a hypogeum of the lower vestibule were kept the remains of St. Gennaro (before being taken to the Cathedral of Naples), in a room whose interior is now visible from the upper area, while the outer part is walled up and covered with frescoes, among them St. Gennaro and the proto-martyrs Stephen and Sossio, from the 6th century. In the centre of the lower vestibule is a baptismal font, commissioned by Bishop Paul II. The upper vestibule, on the other hand, consists of two square halls, each about seven metres per side, but with differences in height. It contains frescoes, the small "basilica of the bishops", dedicated to the memory of the first fourteen Neapolitan bishops, and the "basilica maior". A crypt opens along one of the short sides, containing eight arcosolia (arch-shaped tombs) and ten loculi, where four bishops are portrayed in mosaic; in fact, until the 8th century, the catacombs were used to house the remains of Neapolitan prelates.

place
Catacombe di San Gennaro, 13, Via Capodimonte, Stella, Municipalità 3, Napoli, Campania, 80136, Italia - Napoli
Accessible
timer
120 Minutes
Ticket required
calendar_today

Photo gallery