In Naples there is the oldest and most precious treasure in the world, it is that of San Gennaro preserved inside the Cathedral of the city which from 1305 to today has housed over 20,000 rare objects, including jewels, golds, silvers, paintings and fabrics.
The word Treasure (Tesoro), in its etymology, indicates a deposit of precious objects of a sacred nature. The history of that of San Gennaro begins when Charles II of Anjou, king of Naples, decided to celebrate the thousand years since the death of the Saint with the creation of a commemorative bust which is still displayed today in the main altar of the chapel dedicated to him.
Faith, genius, devotion, religiosity, spectacularity: few things reflect the incredible soul of the Neapolitan people more than the Treasure of San Gennaro. To understand why, let’s just tell how the chapel where it is kept was born.
What makes this treasure unique is that it has remained intact from 1305 to the present day and that it is based on the visceral relationship between the people of Naples and their patron saint.
The Chapel, which is located inside the Cathedral, does not belong, in fact, to the Diocese, but to the Neapolitans since, to escape the war, Vesuvius and the plague, on 13 January 1527 they made a written vow in front of a notary to the Saint to put an end to the dangers. If granted, in exchange they would erect a place of worship worthy of a king.
The Saint performed the miracle and so the people of Naples respected the pact and built the Chapel. Since then, the Treasury has been enriched with many precious objects donated to San Gennaro for devotional and institutional reasons over the centuries.
Among the most famous, we mention the famous Mitra of San Gennaro, or the bishop’s headdress, created in 1713 by the goldsmith Matteo Treglia in which 3694 precious stones are set for a total weight of 18 kg and the Necklace of San Gennaro packaged in a bow of time ranging from 1679 to 1929 with jewels of inestimable value donated by kings and queens, heads of state, popes but also simple citizens.
The treasure also includes many objects of rare manufacture offered by important personalities, such as the gold chalice of Francis II of the Two Sicilies, or the episcopal cross in emeralds and diamonds donated by Umberto I and Margherita of Savoy as thanks for being saved from the attack of 1878.
A treasure that is continuously enriched, as evidenced by the work “Di Eusebia / Verso Eusebia” donated by the artist Jan Fabre together with Vincenzo Liverino and Gianfranco D’Amato and positioned in the Anti-sacristy where the keys that open the safe are kept in silver containing the relic with the blood of San Gennaro.
The painting is made with a mosaic of red Mediterranean coral which recalls the beginning of the history of this cult, recalling Eusebia, the pious woman who was the first to collect the blood of the Saint after his martyrdom in 305 AD.
To fully experience the many stories linked to this incredible treasure, you can book a guided tour or use the audio guide developed by D’Uva, a company that invented audio guides in 1959 for the Milan Cathedral, and let yourself be guided through the discovery of the Chapel and Sacristies, among the most significant monuments of Neapolitan Baroque.
This, on the other hand, is the only “royal” treasure that is the property of a people. Well, Neapolitan people definitely know a thing or two about life!
The Secret
The only treasure of inestimable value that remained completely untouched, not even Napoleon Bonaparte dared to appropriate it. On the contrary, he suggested to his brother Giuseppe, who arrived in Naples in 1806 to become its sovereign, to also donate an object. So it was and today the beautiful cross of diamonds and emeralds of rare purity is one of the most precious objects that is part of the Necklace of San Gennaro.
Useful Info
Tesoro di San Gennaro
Via Duomo 149
80138 Napoli
Tel. +39 081 294980
Tickets: 12 euro, reduced 8,5 euro, for other info visit https://tesorosangennaro.it/info-e-tariffe/
