Naples is preparing for one of the most intense moments of faith of the year. On Tuesday, December 16, the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro, in the heart of the Cathedral, will host the celebration of the Feast of the Patronage. During this occasion, the faithful hope to witness the so-called "secular miracle": the liquefaction of the Patron Saint's blood.
The ceremony will be presided over by the Chapel's abbot, Monsignor Vincenzo De Gregorio, with the participation of members of the Deputation of San Gennaro, the body that protects the relics and the heritage of the Treasury and headed by the city's mayor. The event recalls the episode of December 16, 1631, when, during an eruption of Vesuvius, the city carried the Treasure before the lava, which miraculously stopped, as immortalized in the Domenichino fresco above the Chapel's gate.
The day's program includes the display of the shrine containing the Saint's blood at 9:00 a.m., accompanied by the celebration of Holy Mass, which will continue until 12:30 p.m. In the afternoon, at 4:00 p.m., the shrine will be displayed again, followed by the celebration of Mass at 6:30 p.m., before the Treasure is returned to the safe. Every year, the day draws thousands of faithful, ready to renew their devotion and connection to the city's millennia-old history.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
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