Little is known about the life of San Gennaro. Probably born in Benevento around 272 and died in Pozzuoli in 302 or 305, beheaded by order of the Roman authorities. According to tradition, Gennaro was killed on September 19, which is why this Saint is celebrated on this date. From the sources we have, it does not appear that he was never been to Naplesbut he is the patron saint of the city because in the 5th century his body was transferred there. In the Middle Ages, in fact, it was believed that possessing the remains of a saint meant enjoying his protection. The bones of San Gennaro have had a tormented history: in the 9th century they were taken to Benevento and in the 12th they ended up in the Abbey of Montevergine, near Avellino. They returned to Naples only in 1497.
The Life of San Gennaro
The sources on San Gennaro are scarce and date back to several centuries after his death, to the point that there are those who even doubt that the saint really existed. According to the most accredited theory, Gennaro was born around 272 (when Christianity was still illegal in the Roman Empire). His name was probably Proculuswhile Gennaro (Ianuarius) was perhaps the “surname” assigned to the gens Ianuariato which the future saint belonged or, according to another theory, a nickname given to him because he was born in January. The place of birth is not known with certainty, but it is known that Gennaro was elected Bishop of Benevento. Therefore it is generally believed that he was born in the Samnite city.
The Martyrdom of San Gennaro
Gennaro was a victim of the repression of Christianity carried out by the Roman Empire. According to the traditional story, on an unspecified date, but probably between 302 and 305, the future saint went to Pozzuoli together with two other Christians, the reader Desiderius and the deacon Festus, to visit the faithful of the town. While they were on their way they learned that Sossio, the deacon of Miseno (another locality in the Phlegraean area) had been arrested by order of Dragonziothe highest political authority in the area. Gennaro went to visit the prisoner, but was himself arrested and condemned to be torn to pieces by lions. The torture was however cancelled due to the protests of the faithful or, according to another version, thanks to a miracle by Gennaro, who tamed the lions and prevented them from attacking him. Dragonzio, however, did not want to give up putting the bishop to death and he ordered him to be beheaded. According to tradition, the sentence was carried out at the Solfatara of Pozzuoli on September 19, which is why today is considered the day of San Gennaro. The blood of the martyr was collected by the faithful in some vials and the body was buried near Agnano, a short distance from Pozzuoli.
The Translation of the Relics and the Veneration of San Gennaro in Naples
In 313, a few years after the martyrdom of Januarius, the emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which legalized Christianity, and a few decades later, in 380, Theodosius made it the official religion of the empire. Among the faithful, the cult of the martyrsthat is, Christians who had been killed because of their faith, and Gennaro soon became an object of veneration. In the 5th century the bishop of Naples, Giovanni, ordered that the body of the saint be transferred to the Neapolitan cityThe remains were buried in the catacombswhich since then became known as the catacombs of San Gennaro.
The reason why San Gennaro is the patron saint of Naples is therefore the presence of his bones. It should be remembered that in the Middle Ages the cult of the remains, real or presumed, of saints was very developed, because it was believed that they could perform miracles. Possessing the remains of a saint meant enjoying his benevolence and therefore many cities chose their patron saint, that is, the saint to whom to turn for protection, based on the presence of the remains. For example, San Marco is the patron saint of Venice because in the 9th century two Venetian merchants stole his bones from Alexandria in Egypt, where the saint had died, and brought them to their city.
The disputes over the relics of San Gennaro
The relics of San Gennaro also had a troubled history. In the year 831, when the Lombard prince of Benevento Sicon I besieged Naples, took possession of the remains and brought them back to the presumed birthplace of Gennaro. In Naples remained the ampoules with the blood, today famous for the so-called “miracle of San Gennaro”. The bones were kept in Benevento until the 12th century, when they were transferred to the abbey of Montevergine. They were brought back to Naples only in 1497 and placed in the Cathedral.
In the seventeenth century, the the dispute reignitedbecause Benevento claimed to be the saint’s homeland and to have the right to guard his body. Over the years, however, the people of Benevento accepted that Gennaro’s bones be guarded in Naples.
