Catedral de Nápoles

The Cathedral of Naples, also known as Duomo di Napoli or Cattedrale Metropolitana di Santa Maria Assunta, is the main place of worship in Naples and plays a crucial role in the historical context, as it is believed that in its original location stood a temple dedicated to the god Apollo. The first cathedral was built by Constantine in the 4th century. The present cathedral was erected by the House of Anjou and houses the oldest baptistery in the West.

The initiative to build the cathedral came from Charles I of Anjou, although it could not be carried out due to his death in 1285. His son, Charles II of Anjou, began construction in 1299, but unfortunately died in 1309 before its completion. The work was completed in 1313, during the reign of Robert of Anjou, and the cathedral was consecrated to Our Lady of the Assumption the following year.

The cathedral's architecture exhibits an amalgam of diverse styles, from the original Gothic to the Baroque influence through various remodelings. In the 19th century, Errico Alvino rebuilt the facade in the original Gothic style, finishing it in 1905. Today, the façade features a neo-Gothic design, with 14th century Gothic doors, a Baroque-style main hall and a Renaissance-style crypt chapel.

The Baroque-style treasure chapel houses the silver statue of the bust of the main patron saint of Naples, St. Jenaro, along with 51 other silver statues dedicated to the city's co-patrons. The treasure includes valuable donations from devotees, such as the silver mitre with precious stones donated by Matteo Treglia, which due to its splendor is kept not only in the chapel, but also in the Museo del Tesoro di San Gennaro and in a vault of the Bank of Naples.

Capsules containing the saint's blood are kept in the chapel. Every September 19, the anniversary of the death of St. Gennaro, the miracle of the liquefaction of the blood takes place, attracting thousands of faithful annually. After this event, a procession takes place through the streets of Naples, carrying the capsules containing the saint's blood in a beautiful silver reliquary. The silver bust of St. Jenaro also accompanies the capsules during the procession. The chapel houses one of the most outstanding paintings by José de Ribera: "San Jenaro emerging unharmed from the furnace", a colorful and atypical work because of its execution on copper instead of canvas, as was common in larger paintings.

Article obtained from Wikipedia article Wikipedia in his version of 19/11/2023, by various authors under the license Licencia de Documentación Libre GNU.