Catacombs of San Gennaro
Catacombs of San Gennaro | |
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Details | |
Established | 1985 |
Location | Naples |
Country | Italy |
The Catacombs of San Gennaro are underground paleo-Christian burial and worship sites in Naples, Italy, carved out of tuff, a porous stone. They are situated in the northern part of the city, on the slope leading up to Capodimonte , consisting of two levels, San Gennaro Superiore, and San Gennaro Inferiore.[1] The catacombs lie under the Rione Sanità neighborhood of Naples, sometimes called the "Valley of the Dead".[1][2] The site is now easily identified by the large church of Madre del Buon Consiglio.
History
Originally, there were three separate cemeteries, dedicated, respectively, to
The foundation of
The site was consecrated to Gennaro (Januarius) in the fifth century on the occasion of the entombment there of his remains, which were later removed to the
Until the eleventh century the catacombs were the burial site of Neapolitan bishops, including Quodvoltdeus, the exiled bishop of Carthage who died in 450 AD. Between the 13th and 18th century, the catacombs were the victim of severe looting. Restoration of the catacombs was made possible only after the transfer of skeletal remains to another cemetery. During WWII the catacombs were used by the local population as a place of shelter.[2] The Catacombs were reopened in 1969 by the Archbishop of Naples and modern excavations started in 1971.[5]
Types of burials
The types of tombs include loculi, arcosoli, pits dug in the ground, and less often, sarcophagi made of tuff, or recycled marble and stone from older graves.[2] The loculi are aligned vertically and the most simple style of burial found in the catacombs but not indicative of the status of the deceased. Arcosoli, made for family funeral areas, are built into the walls of the galleries and cubicles and are more sophisticated than the loculi. Sometimes decorated with mosaics or frescoes, the burials may be stacked horizontally. This type of burial is often found in Sicilian catacombs as well, and can be described as a “Siracusa” burial and is often found in Greek areas of catacombs. Occasionally child burials are found in the bottom wall of the lunette, another example of the efficient use of space in the catacombs.[2]
Oil lamps
Approximately 200 oil lamps dating from late antiquity to the Middle Ages have been found in the catacombs. Included in the findings are 54 African red slip lamps.[6] A thorough study of all the lamps will eventually indicate trade routes from the time period as well as the types of people using the catacombs for burial and ritual purposes. The oldest oil lamps found date back to the second half of the third century and were made in Naples.[6]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Environmental Monitoring of the St. Gennaro and St. Gaudioso catacombs in Naples (PDF Download Available)". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2017-12-04.
- ^ a b c d e f Ebanista, Carlo. "Aree funerarie e luoghi di culto in rupe: le cavità artificiali campane tra tarda antichità e medioevo, in Atti VI Convegno Nazionale di Speleologia in Cavità Artificiali, Napoli, 30 maggio-2 giugno 2008 ("Opera ipogea", 1/2, 2008), pp. 117-144".
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(help) - ^ napoli.com - Around Naples
- ^ San Gaudioso di Abitine
- ^ "The Acoustic of The Catacombs of "San Gennaro" in Naples".
- ^ a b Gaudio, Antonio Del; Ebanista, Carlo. "Le lucerne di età tardoantica e altomedievale dalla catacomba di S. Gennaro a Napoli, in Isole e terraferma nel primo cristianesimo. Identità locale ed interscambi culturali, religiosi e produttivi, Atti dell'XI Congresso Nazionale di Archeologia Cristiana, Cagliari 2015, pp. 727-742".
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External links
- Media related to Catacombs of San Gennaro (Naples) at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website