Napoli is full of strange sights, smells, sounds and people. Walking through the streets you are greeted by street food around every corner, Neapolitan children playing football in the streets, shop owners smoking at their doorsteps - curiously looking upon you. And vespas, everywhere. Everything from 14 year old boys and girls, single Italian men whistling as they fly by, families of 3-5 making their way around the city or people transporting various items. (Most impressive so far - a 40" flat screen... incredible)
But looking into Napoli's relationship with their past inhabitants is potentially the most fascinating thing for me in this city. Nearly every street has little window nooks with lights, pictures of the Virgin Mary and good ol' Jesus Christ paired with a photo of a loved brother, sister, mother, father, uncle, cousin, friend... anyone. They are a unique way for someone travelling to have a peek into the personal lives of the people that call this city home. Not to mention the various catacombs located through out the city. Ranging in sizes from huge caves to small churches beneath a large, baroque upper face. As well as Ancient Greek aqueducts, amphitheatres and markets turned into shelters during times of war.
This is my little list of the various places I've visited, many of which I was able to stare mortality directly in its hollow eyes and delve into the spiritual world of the dead in Napoli.
Napoli Sotteraenea! Three years ago, upon arrival in Napoli for the first time, this was the first sight I saw! I had no clue that any of this even existed in the city so it blew my goddamn mind. Even today, it's just as impressive. It's vastness is indescribable, it's hard to know just how far you've gone through the tunnels, winding round and opening up into quiet cisterns.
It's got a trifecta of history. Firstly, these quarries were built to extract the tuff (volcanic rock) to build the city above ground, as well to access the water running beneath, over 2500 years ago. Tufa is easy to work with and is also quite strong so it was an ideal building material. Being the smart people the Greeks were they built these quarries in bottle shapes to prevent cave ins. Then, between 1588 and 1615 and under Roman rule, these quarries were carved into aqueducts to access the geothermal cavity that runs from Vesuvius through Pompei and past Napoli. These aqueducts were paired with cisterns to provide drinking water to the people along the route mentioned above. This continued until 1885 when a catastrophic cholera outbreak saw this water source compromised and subsequently abandoned. Walking through these aqueducts, you can run your hands across the pick marks made by the people that carved these thousands of years ago. Feelin' history baby! Some of the passages are quite narrow so you are provided with a candle and to a certain point you may not be able to fi through these points if you've had a few too many canoli's!
These underground caves and aqueducts were virtually unused until World War 2 when they became refuge for many of the city's people. Napoli was the most bombed city during the war so I imagine having these shelters proved to be a god send to the people. There are names and dates carved into the walls from these times as well as beds and children's toys left there after the war.
Leaving the aqueducts, you run your hands across history one last time as you climb from the depths of 40 meters and walk back into today's civilization.
This next one doesn't really flow into any morbid past. Just a friendly, 4th generation hospital dedicated to fixing your favourite childhood doll.
Starting in late 1800's, the great-great-grandfather of the woman owning it now started it out of happenstance when a women came into his shop begging for a doll to be fixed. In the same location, it's a small room tucked away off a busy street up a narrow set of steps, but what's inside is pretty unique! If you've ever felt like something was staring at you before be prepared to feel a slight paranoia in this place.
Dolls are everywhere! In makeshift beds, in little shelves on the wall, heads hanging from above you, legs and hands strung up for easy picking.
Little drawers filled with all sizes of eyes and wigs bundled up in corners.
I paced around this little room 6 or 7 times, each time finding a new bizarre item to gaze at. Truly unique, it's a neat little stop to get out of the busy streets.
Now, into the underbelly of Napoli we go, starting with two catacombs. The Catacombe di San Gennaro and the Catacombe di San Gaudioso. Both of these catacombs were once outside the city walls but as the city expanded they became a part of the city itself and all the remains were moved outside the new city borders to Fontanelle Cimitero.
San Gennaro is home to approximately 2000 graves dating back to the 2nd or 3rd century. 2000 graves doesn't mean 2000 people though, many graves had 2,3 or etttven 4 buried together.
There are three grave styles throughout the catacombs. In the ground, in the walls or in a tomb, all of which the Italian translation escapes my memory. Sorry! The catacombs span two levels and several rooms to compose a haunting atmosphere.
The basic ones were in the ground, obviously, with the ones in the walls costing slightly more and the tombs being only for people who could afford a proper burial. Even then, they were stacked amongst one another. These graves were of the Christian variety used until the Middle Ages. During the 15th century these catacombs were also used for victims of the plague.
Throughout the catacombs there were many frescoes and mosaics along the walls, as well as relics belonging to San Gennaro. These relics have long since been in a national museum but the frescoes remain; depicting stories of the saints with the Virgin Mary. Many of these frescoes are severely damaged but in several tombs there are grapevines visible; a symbol of Jesus. Perhaps the most important fresco is that of San Gennaro himself, still in fairly good shape, it is a highly preserved item of the catacombe.
Catacombe di San Gaudioso is slightly smaller but I personally think the history is more compelling, perhaps because our tour guide could speak English so I could understand the history. The entrance to the catacomb is in the back of the church and it leads you directly into a room of tombs and graves.
Among the first things you see is a fresco of Jesus bearing a halo, surrounded by a circle. On the 4 corners surrounding him there are 4 smaller frescoes of a lion, a bull, an eagle and the face of a man representing the 4 gospels - with a circle surrounding them. And surrounding this whole religious cluster was a square. Making this a very holy fresco combo. A combination that was the layout for the present day church: a circle with a square and then an octagon (being the upper domes). One large dome as well as 12 circle-squares representing Jesus and the 12 disciples.
Anyway.
In the catacomb, the first room we entered had the tombs used to drain the blood and bodily fluids from the deceased. Allow me to paint you a picture. They would be lowered from the church floor and placed in a small tomb, sitting up with their heads placed in a notched cradle because they were the most important to keep preserved, their bodies would then be pierced so the blood and bodily fluids could drain into a basin. It's not yet known how long this process took.
By the way, the people doing the stabbing, draining and I assume skin removal lived in the cemetery carrying out this duty until they died. They did not get this glamorous burial though, they were places in shared graves on the ground. Nice trade eh?
Once drained, their bones were placed in a wall along a hall leading to a marble statue of Jesus at one end and a monster on the other (literally). The only thing emerged from the wall was their faces, the rest of the skeletal system was laid flush. Today, only the skulls remain as the faces deteriorated over time and you can run your hands over the bones from centuries ago. This burial was only given to saints, those that could afford it or those who traded services with the church. As an example, architects and painters of the church.
Then we entered the hallway. On one end, Jesus lay for people to pray as this was once a typical church. On the other, was a monstrous skeleton, a mash up of miscellaneous bones. It's legs and arms were short and it's spine long; it too had a face at one time... I can only imagine what it looked like.
This was placed as a guard of the bodies laid to rest in the corridor. They believed it would ward off harm to the souls here and protect the area from damning people, alive or dead.
Along the halls there were about a dozen of these standing skeletons on either side, women on the right and men on the left. Amongst these remains was 1 saint. As well as many entry ways into tombs to your left and right.
It was fascinating to be able to place your hands on the walls and feel the ridges of the rib cages and the bases of the skulls remaining. It's certainly a distinctive texture, one I won't soon forget.
Last on my tour of offbeat places, for now at least, is the Fontanelle Cimitero and the church of purgatory. These two places are by far my favourite stops on this list.
Imagine a place where all the remains from the cemeteries of the city got sent when the city walls expanded. Then add in a plague, cholera and a flood - just for shits and giggles. Fontanelle is where 40,000 dead are laid to rest in a very peculiar way and the history is just as strange. It begins in 1656. The ossuaries were dug out to extract the tufa (starting to notice a pattern?) and then they were used as a cemetery.
This being the time of the great plague, many were laid here to rest. Also, legend states that Undertakers would say they were transporting loved ones bodies to the churches and would actually dump the bodies in these quarries. So when a flood occurred during the 1700's and all these remains flooded the streets, creating quite the spectacle, the Commune of Napoli decided to arrange them in the caves as a paupers grave. And then in 1837 when cholera ravaged the city, Fontanelle was again the final resting spot. 1837 was the last depository in this cemetery.
Things were relatively normal in this gigantic cemetery until 1872 when a sort of cult formed around the skulls laid out here. People began adopting skulls. Yes. You read that right. They would clean the skull and make it a small home, be it marble or wood, they are all one of a kind.
Some would name it as well; claiming that the spirit came to them in their dreams. Then they would bring it small tokens, photos of loved ones they've lost, flowers, blessing, etc... They would care for this anonymous soul in exchange for protection and favours.
This continued for nearly 100 years until Cardinal Ursi of Napoli closed the cemetery, declaring that this cult following had turned into a fetish. And it remained closed until 2006 when restoration projects began.
A small church has been added for select ceremonies throughout the year and as you walk the cemetery there are many coins, photos and rosaries lovingly placed on these beloved adopted skulls. Although it's not a cult following anymore, it's still heavily believed in here. It's quite insane to think that as you're walking through this 30,000m3 cavern that there are 4meters of anonymous dead under you soles at any given time. Think about that for a minute.
Perhaps my favourite story of the skulls is the one called Ma'am. Other skulls are always covered in dust but this one is always polished in its case. Devotees say that it represents the sweat of the souls in purgatory. What do you think?
Lastly, we have the church of purgatory. Now, I didn't get a whole lot of info from the tour being that it was strictly in Italian... But thanks to two others on the tour I got the information I needed to know.
And no pictures are allowed in the church, so google if you'd like or just use your imagination.
These two others were a priest and a bishop from the Vatican. Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke right? A priest, a bishop and an agnostic walk into the church of purgatory... I'll tell you how it goes at the end...
This church is special because it is completely devoted to the souls in purgatory. The upper level is covered in skulls and the main artwork at the chapel point is actually souls being pulled up out of the inferno by a saint on a cloud held up by angels. I'm not shitting you! Then the museum behind the chapel is full of garments worn by priests, bishops and other holy men for funeral processions. In glass cases there are many artifacts from the 18th century embellished in small skulls. Everything about this place is devoted to the dead!
Then you go to the basement and it's a whole different level. The worship and adoption of skulls took place here much like Fontanelle. The difference being that it never really stopped here. Even as I was touring the basement people were coming and praying to the skulls.
The basement is like a replica of the church upstairs except the walls are bare, save for candles to guide you, and the floors are dirt. This was the purgatory that the souls lived in. In the centre, a crypt remains closed. This is where remains were put that could not afford a burial. Towards the front of the church is a large black cross dominating the room. It's said that children would be allowed down to the basement to pick a special bone for the family to worship. Because they are pure and innocent, they would pick just the right bone to add to their skulls niche.
As you walk along the corridor to the back room there are small niches with skulls and offerings, along with pictures that loved ones have places amongst the bones. And then you're in the back room, probably the most sacred. On one end there are 12 personalized niches for skulls and directly underneath this is a bone depository, only accessible from this level. As you walk down to the other side there are 12 graves, 6 on either side, for the members and benefactors of the confederation. All humped with soil and strewn with flowers. Finally to your right, is the beloved Lucia; dawning a tiara and veil.. She is placed upon a cushion and surrounded by a mountain of offerings. She is the protector of young brides. Mothers bring daughters here to give offerings to her so that they are healthy brides before marriage. It's clear that she is very well taken care of here.
So, the end of the joke?
The priest and bishop inquire about my curiosity of the spiritual world; asking if I'm Catholic. I said "No, I'm not. I'm not sure what to believe in. I've always been a see to believe sort of person so simply having faith isn't something that's easy for me."
The priest looked at me and said "It's okay not to know what to believe in but don't spend your whole life not knowing..." And smiled at me.
He then shook my hand and said "God bless you."
Hopefully that wasn't too dull for anybody...
1. It's a lot of information to read
2. I may not have put it together in the most fluent way
3. I'm really hoping I got all the facts straight
4. It's 2:30 AM and it's been a wine night. Am I right
Ciao for now!!
I'll be posting about Napoli and it's brutal hold on my soul in the next week or so. Just waiting for inspiration to punch me in the face.
But looking into Napoli's relationship with their past inhabitants is potentially the most fascinating thing for me in this city. Nearly every street has little window nooks with lights, pictures of the Virgin Mary and good ol' Jesus Christ paired with a photo of a loved brother, sister, mother, father, uncle, cousin, friend... anyone. They are a unique way for someone travelling to have a peek into the personal lives of the people that call this city home. Not to mention the various catacombs located through out the city. Ranging in sizes from huge caves to small churches beneath a large, baroque upper face. As well as Ancient Greek aqueducts, amphitheatres and markets turned into shelters during times of war.
This is my little list of the various places I've visited, many of which I was able to stare mortality directly in its hollow eyes and delve into the spiritual world of the dead in Napoli.
Napoli Sotteraenea! Three years ago, upon arrival in Napoli for the first time, this was the first sight I saw! I had no clue that any of this even existed in the city so it blew my goddamn mind. Even today, it's just as impressive. It's vastness is indescribable, it's hard to know just how far you've gone through the tunnels, winding round and opening up into quiet cisterns.
It's got a trifecta of history. Firstly, these quarries were built to extract the tuff (volcanic rock) to build the city above ground, as well to access the water running beneath, over 2500 years ago. Tufa is easy to work with and is also quite strong so it was an ideal building material. Being the smart people the Greeks were they built these quarries in bottle shapes to prevent cave ins. Then, between 1588 and 1615 and under Roman rule, these quarries were carved into aqueducts to access the geothermal cavity that runs from Vesuvius through Pompei and past Napoli. These aqueducts were paired with cisterns to provide drinking water to the people along the route mentioned above. This continued until 1885 when a catastrophic cholera outbreak saw this water source compromised and subsequently abandoned. Walking through these aqueducts, you can run your hands across the pick marks made by the people that carved these thousands of years ago. Feelin' history baby! Some of the passages are quite narrow so you are provided with a candle and to a certain point you may not be able to fi through these points if you've had a few too many canoli's!
These underground caves and aqueducts were virtually unused until World War 2 when they became refuge for many of the city's people. Napoli was the most bombed city during the war so I imagine having these shelters proved to be a god send to the people. There are names and dates carved into the walls from these times as well as beds and children's toys left there after the war.
Leaving the aqueducts, you run your hands across history one last time as you climb from the depths of 40 meters and walk back into today's civilization.
This next one doesn't really flow into any morbid past. Just a friendly, 4th generation hospital dedicated to fixing your favourite childhood doll.
Starting in late 1800's, the great-great-grandfather of the woman owning it now started it out of happenstance when a women came into his shop begging for a doll to be fixed. In the same location, it's a small room tucked away off a busy street up a narrow set of steps, but what's inside is pretty unique! If you've ever felt like something was staring at you before be prepared to feel a slight paranoia in this place.
Dolls are everywhere! In makeshift beds, in little shelves on the wall, heads hanging from above you, legs and hands strung up for easy picking.
I paced around this little room 6 or 7 times, each time finding a new bizarre item to gaze at. Truly unique, it's a neat little stop to get out of the busy streets.
Now, into the underbelly of Napoli we go, starting with two catacombs. The Catacombe di San Gennaro and the Catacombe di San Gaudioso. Both of these catacombs were once outside the city walls but as the city expanded they became a part of the city itself and all the remains were moved outside the new city borders to Fontanelle Cimitero.
San Gennaro is home to approximately 2000 graves dating back to the 2nd or 3rd century. 2000 graves doesn't mean 2000 people though, many graves had 2,3 or etttven 4 buried together.
There are three grave styles throughout the catacombs. In the ground, in the walls or in a tomb, all of which the Italian translation escapes my memory. Sorry! The catacombs span two levels and several rooms to compose a haunting atmosphere.
The basic ones were in the ground, obviously, with the ones in the walls costing slightly more and the tombs being only for people who could afford a proper burial. Even then, they were stacked amongst one another. These graves were of the Christian variety used until the Middle Ages. During the 15th century these catacombs were also used for victims of the plague.
Throughout the catacombs there were many frescoes and mosaics along the walls, as well as relics belonging to San Gennaro. These relics have long since been in a national museum but the frescoes remain; depicting stories of the saints with the Virgin Mary. Many of these frescoes are severely damaged but in several tombs there are grapevines visible; a symbol of Jesus. Perhaps the most important fresco is that of San Gennaro himself, still in fairly good shape, it is a highly preserved item of the catacombe.
Catacombe di San Gaudioso is slightly smaller but I personally think the history is more compelling, perhaps because our tour guide could speak English so I could understand the history. The entrance to the catacomb is in the back of the church and it leads you directly into a room of tombs and graves.
Among the first things you see is a fresco of Jesus bearing a halo, surrounded by a circle. On the 4 corners surrounding him there are 4 smaller frescoes of a lion, a bull, an eagle and the face of a man representing the 4 gospels - with a circle surrounding them. And surrounding this whole religious cluster was a square. Making this a very holy fresco combo. A combination that was the layout for the present day church: a circle with a square and then an octagon (being the upper domes). One large dome as well as 12 circle-squares representing Jesus and the 12 disciples.
Anyway.
In the catacomb, the first room we entered had the tombs used to drain the blood and bodily fluids from the deceased. Allow me to paint you a picture. They would be lowered from the church floor and placed in a small tomb, sitting up with their heads placed in a notched cradle because they were the most important to keep preserved, their bodies would then be pierced so the blood and bodily fluids could drain into a basin. It's not yet known how long this process took.
By the way, the people doing the stabbing, draining and I assume skin removal lived in the cemetery carrying out this duty until they died. They did not get this glamorous burial though, they were places in shared graves on the ground. Nice trade eh?
Once drained, their bones were placed in a wall along a hall leading to a marble statue of Jesus at one end and a monster on the other (literally). The only thing emerged from the wall was their faces, the rest of the skeletal system was laid flush. Today, only the skulls remain as the faces deteriorated over time and you can run your hands over the bones from centuries ago. This burial was only given to saints, those that could afford it or those who traded services with the church. As an example, architects and painters of the church.
Then we entered the hallway. On one end, Jesus lay for people to pray as this was once a typical church. On the other, was a monstrous skeleton, a mash up of miscellaneous bones. It's legs and arms were short and it's spine long; it too had a face at one time... I can only imagine what it looked like.
This was placed as a guard of the bodies laid to rest in the corridor. They believed it would ward off harm to the souls here and protect the area from damning people, alive or dead.
Along the halls there were about a dozen of these standing skeletons on either side, women on the right and men on the left. Amongst these remains was 1 saint. As well as many entry ways into tombs to your left and right.
It was fascinating to be able to place your hands on the walls and feel the ridges of the rib cages and the bases of the skulls remaining. It's certainly a distinctive texture, one I won't soon forget.
Last on my tour of offbeat places, for now at least, is the Fontanelle Cimitero and the church of purgatory. These two places are by far my favourite stops on this list.
Imagine a place where all the remains from the cemeteries of the city got sent when the city walls expanded. Then add in a plague, cholera and a flood - just for shits and giggles. Fontanelle is where 40,000 dead are laid to rest in a very peculiar way and the history is just as strange. It begins in 1656. The ossuaries were dug out to extract the tufa (starting to notice a pattern?) and then they were used as a cemetery.
This being the time of the great plague, many were laid here to rest. Also, legend states that Undertakers would say they were transporting loved ones bodies to the churches and would actually dump the bodies in these quarries. So when a flood occurred during the 1700's and all these remains flooded the streets, creating quite the spectacle, the Commune of Napoli decided to arrange them in the caves as a paupers grave. And then in 1837 when cholera ravaged the city, Fontanelle was again the final resting spot. 1837 was the last depository in this cemetery.
Things were relatively normal in this gigantic cemetery until 1872 when a sort of cult formed around the skulls laid out here. People began adopting skulls. Yes. You read that right. They would clean the skull and make it a small home, be it marble or wood, they are all one of a kind.
Some would name it as well; claiming that the spirit came to them in their dreams. Then they would bring it small tokens, photos of loved ones they've lost, flowers, blessing, etc... They would care for this anonymous soul in exchange for protection and favours.
This continued for nearly 100 years until Cardinal Ursi of Napoli closed the cemetery, declaring that this cult following had turned into a fetish. And it remained closed until 2006 when restoration projects began.
A small church has been added for select ceremonies throughout the year and as you walk the cemetery there are many coins, photos and rosaries lovingly placed on these beloved adopted skulls. Although it's not a cult following anymore, it's still heavily believed in here. It's quite insane to think that as you're walking through this 30,000m3 cavern that there are 4meters of anonymous dead under you soles at any given time. Think about that for a minute.
Perhaps my favourite story of the skulls is the one called Ma'am. Other skulls are always covered in dust but this one is always polished in its case. Devotees say that it represents the sweat of the souls in purgatory. What do you think?
Lastly, we have the church of purgatory. Now, I didn't get a whole lot of info from the tour being that it was strictly in Italian... But thanks to two others on the tour I got the information I needed to know.
And no pictures are allowed in the church, so google if you'd like or just use your imagination.
These two others were a priest and a bishop from the Vatican. Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke right? A priest, a bishop and an agnostic walk into the church of purgatory... I'll tell you how it goes at the end...
This church is special because it is completely devoted to the souls in purgatory. The upper level is covered in skulls and the main artwork at the chapel point is actually souls being pulled up out of the inferno by a saint on a cloud held up by angels. I'm not shitting you! Then the museum behind the chapel is full of garments worn by priests, bishops and other holy men for funeral processions. In glass cases there are many artifacts from the 18th century embellished in small skulls. Everything about this place is devoted to the dead!
Then you go to the basement and it's a whole different level. The worship and adoption of skulls took place here much like Fontanelle. The difference being that it never really stopped here. Even as I was touring the basement people were coming and praying to the skulls.
The basement is like a replica of the church upstairs except the walls are bare, save for candles to guide you, and the floors are dirt. This was the purgatory that the souls lived in. In the centre, a crypt remains closed. This is where remains were put that could not afford a burial. Towards the front of the church is a large black cross dominating the room. It's said that children would be allowed down to the basement to pick a special bone for the family to worship. Because they are pure and innocent, they would pick just the right bone to add to their skulls niche.
As you walk along the corridor to the back room there are small niches with skulls and offerings, along with pictures that loved ones have places amongst the bones. And then you're in the back room, probably the most sacred. On one end there are 12 personalized niches for skulls and directly underneath this is a bone depository, only accessible from this level. As you walk down to the other side there are 12 graves, 6 on either side, for the members and benefactors of the confederation. All humped with soil and strewn with flowers. Finally to your right, is the beloved Lucia; dawning a tiara and veil.. She is placed upon a cushion and surrounded by a mountain of offerings. She is the protector of young brides. Mothers bring daughters here to give offerings to her so that they are healthy brides before marriage. It's clear that she is very well taken care of here.
So, the end of the joke?
The priest and bishop inquire about my curiosity of the spiritual world; asking if I'm Catholic. I said "No, I'm not. I'm not sure what to believe in. I've always been a see to believe sort of person so simply having faith isn't something that's easy for me."
The priest looked at me and said "It's okay not to know what to believe in but don't spend your whole life not knowing..." And smiled at me.
He then shook my hand and said "God bless you."
Hopefully that wasn't too dull for anybody...
1. It's a lot of information to read
2. I may not have put it together in the most fluent way
3. I'm really hoping I got all the facts straight
4. It's 2:30 AM and it's been a wine night. Am I right
Ciao for now!!
I'll be posting about Napoli and it's brutal hold on my soul in the next week or so. Just waiting for inspiration to punch me in the face.
Great effort Darian, and a good read. Love the BLOG page layout and the photos, many of them familiar to me. Would like to share this on my business FB page, Shroud Memento. Helen
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