After centuries of waiting, the staff of Saint Joseph is once again visible to the public. The precious relic, preserved for years, has been on display since yesterday evening in a display case inside the New Museum of Saint Joseph of the Nudes, inaugurated this evening in Naples, a few steps from the National Archaeological Museum (Man).
Medieval tradition tells that the staff miraculously blossomed at the announcement of Mary's pregnancy. Stolen from a Carmelite convent in Sussex, England, where it was already on display in the 1712th century, the artifact arrived in Naples in XNUMX thanks to Nicola Grimaldi, a famous castrated singer.
Grimaldi obtained the transfer of the relic to the Neapolitan city after saving Sir Richard Hampden from the death sentence.
The stick arrived in Naples in 1712 thanks to the famous castrated singer Nicola Grimaldi
The following year, the staff was displayed in the church of the Royal Confraternity of Monte di San Giuseppe dell'Opera del Vestire i Nudi ei Vergognosi, soon becoming a destination for pilgrimages. The faithful, moved by devotion, used to touch and kiss it, often trying to detach small fragments to take with them as relics. The practice became so widespread that the presence of a custodian was needed to watch over the precious object.
It was from this habit that the Neapolitan expression “Nun sfruculià 'a mazzarella 'e San Giuseppe” was born, still used today to indicate someone who insists excessively or abuses the patience of others.
The display of the stick, now protected by a glass case, represents a return to light for one of the most venerated relics of the Christian tradition, further enriching the historical and religious heritage of the city.
“We are offering the city of Naples and tourists a new museum, created thanks to our commitment, to funding from the Campania Region and to Paolo Giulierini with his 'Extra Mann' programme which gave us the moral strength for this work”.
Superintendent Ugo de Flaviis said this when presenting the New San Giuseppe dei Nudi Museum in via Mancinelli, underlining that the path that has been started is one that must be pursued, because “Naples is full of cultural places capable of bringing income and wealth to the city, which is not just food”.
The New San Giuseppe dei Nudi Museum, with spaces redesigned by Davide Vargas, occupies a portion of the eighteenth-century Palazzo del Complesso monumentale which includes the historical archive and the church, with its magnificent eighteenth-century organ, in addition to the historical garden.
There are six exhibition rooms where it will be possible to admire, along the thread of the history of the Institution, which covers about 3 centuries, paintings, sculptures and reliquaries. In the rooms there are portraits made between the mid-XNUMXth and the beginning of the XNUMXth century that portray nobles, Bourbon sovereigns, popes, bishops and monsignors.
"Facts, people, works, documents," explains the curator of the Museum Almerinda Di Benedetto, "like pieces of a puzzle have waited about three centuries to be recomposed into a functional and usable overall picture. With the inauguration of the Museum we are beginning what we must consider only an important first step towards the knowledge and protection of the Institution, its material and immaterial heritage, and the testimonies of a social history among the most significant of eighteenth-nineteenth century Naples. An enlightening reading of the spiritual experience of the Opera and of those who have kept it alive over time, contributing to reconstructing the identity of a piece of our territory."
Article published on 31 January 2025 - 07:03
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This article talks about a very important event for the culture of Naples, but I wonder if the stick will always be visible or only for a period. Also, it would be interesting to know how the pieces exhibited in the museum were chosen.