L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano N a p l e s h a d m a n y k i n g s throughout its history: in the end, it was the capital of a kingdom bearing its name for centuries. But the city is also familiar with more prosaic figures, think of T o t ò o r D i e g o A r m a n d o M a r a d o n a , w h o w e r e worshipped and loved with t h e s a m e l e v e l o f b l i n d devotion subjects tend to offer to their own sovereign. Yet, above them all, above t h e r e a l k i n g s a n d t h e metaphorical ones, there's h i m : S a n G e n n a r o . O f course, if you are a Catholic, it goes without saying that a saint is more important than a k i n g – o r a n a c t o r , o r a footballer – but what strikes the most, when considering t h e d e v o t i o n N e a p o l i t a n s h a v e f o r g o o d old Ianuarius is its complex nature, which brings togeth- er the holy and the profane, the spiritual and the prag- matic. San Gennaro is Naples, and Naples is San Gennaro: you can't mention one with- out thinking almost immedi- ately about the other. Just a few days ago, on the 19th of September, the city of Partenope celebrated one of the most significant rituals related to the Saint, that of the liquefaction of his blood: a s m a n y o f y o u p r o b a b l y know, a vial of what faith and tradition say to be Gennaro's dried blood is kept in Naples' cathedral. Three times a year – on the Saturday before the first Sunday in May, on the 19th of September and on the 16th of December – the holy relic is taken out of its reli- q u a r y s o t h a t t h e f a i t h f u l gathered in prayer can wit- ness the miracle of Gennaro's blood returning liquid. When i t h a p p e n s , i t m e a n s t h e times are going to be good, but if it doesn't, then we can expect catastrophic events, or so tradition tells us. If you are curious, the blood did liq- u e f y t h e o t h e r d a y , s o w e should be ok, at least for a while. We do know quite a lot about Gennaro's life because it is recounted in three main h a g i o g r a p h i c a l t e x t s : the Acta Bononiensia (6th century AD), which is per- haps our main source, as w e l l a s t h e A c t a V a t i - cana (8th- 9th century AD), a n d t h e M a r t y r o l o g i u m Hieronymianum (5th cen- tury AD), among others: all of them agree that the saint was born on the 21st of April 272 AD and that he died a martyr, beheaded because he was a Christian. Thanks to so much literature about him, there are also plenty of c u r i o s i t i e s w e c a n s h a r e about this great figure of Christian devotion: to honor Naples and, if you are so inclined by faith and tradi- tion, San Gennaro himself, I decided to share a handful with you. The miracle of his blood liquefying doesn't always happen The question surrounding the liquefaction of San Gen- naro's blood would deserve a whole article on its own, so I won't get into the discussion about whether there is any- t h i n g m i r a c u l o u s i n t h e event, or if the fluid in the r e l i q u a r y i s b l o o d a t a l l . What's interesting to know, however, is that the blood doesn't always liquefy and that some do notice a con- n e c t i o n b e t w e e n s u c h i n s t a n c e s a n d i n c r e d i b l y negative events: it remained solid, for instance, in 1939, t h e y e a r W o r l d W a r T w o began; in 1974, when Naples was hit by a cholera epidem- ic; and in 1980, the year of t h e d e a d l y I r p i n i a e a r t h - quake. His birth was miraculous According to sources – but hagiographies tend to be very creative when it comes to early signs of holiness! – b a b y I a n u a r i u s w a s b o r n with his little hands joined a s i f p r a y i n g l i k e a Christian. A g r e a t F r e n c h w r i t e r expressed Naples' feelings for San Gennaro best Alexandre Dumas, just like many other artists of his own time, loved Italy and w a s p a r t i c u l a r l y f o n d o f N a p l e s . I n o n e o f h i s works, Le Corricolo (1841- 1843), he gave voice to what h a s b e e n , p r o b a b l y , t h e thought of Neapolitans since the beginning of times: "The Normans ruled over Naples, b u t S a n G e n n a r o c h a s e d them away. The Swabians ruled over Naples, but San Gennaro chased them away, too. The Aragonese, in turn, usurped the throne, and San G e n n a r o p u n i s h e d t h e m . The Spaniards were tyrants of the city, but San Gennaro conquered them. Finally, the F r e n c h o c c u p i e d N a p l e s , and San Gennaro showed t h e m t h e d o o r . A n d G o d only knows what else San Gennaro could do for his city!" His real name was not Ianuarius …that was his cognomen, or the name of his gens, his f a m i l y . H e w a s P u b l i u s Faustus Ianuarius, so if we want to be precise, he should be known as Publius (Publio in Italian) or Faustus (Faus- to). He was removed from the Saints' calendar Between 1963 and 1965, during the Second Vatican Council, it was decided that the sources about Gennaro's life weren't reliable enough a n d t h a t t h e r e w e r e n ' t enough historical indications that he did, in fact, really exist. Neapolitans weren't happy, as you may imagine, to the point that the Vatican w a s f o r c e d t o p a r t i a l l y change its mind: it conceded Gennaro the right of being worshipped liturgically, but only in Naples. LUCA SIGNORINI A beautifully executed mural of San Gennaro in Spaccanapoli (Photo: Lucamato/Dreamstime) San Gennaro, the real king of Naples LIFE PEOPLE REVIEWS ADVICE TRADITIONS

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