When Naples started running out of room to bury its dead in the 16th century, undertakers started moving bones into a cave just beyond the city walls. The cemetery its big boost in 1656, when plague swept Naples. Thousands of corpses were piled into the cave. Later, it became a boneyard for paupers, with a huge swell of corpses deposited during 1837′s cholera epidemic. Today, the remains of an estimated 40,000 people linger in the cave, although thousands more are thought to be buried beneath the surface.
In 1872, Father Gaetano Barbati decided it was time to clean up the cave. He and his followers organized and catalogued the bones. But here’s where it gets really creepy: They also inspired a cult of devotion to the dead. Volunteers weren’t just cleaning skulls. They also were praying to them and asking them for favors. In 1969, the Archbishop of Naples closed the cemetery down, worrying it had become a fetishist cult. The cave only reopened to the public full-time in 2010… and it remains filled with the bones and skulls of 40,000 nameless.
The Cimitero delle Fontanelle is open daily from 10am-5pm, except for Wednesdays. It’s located at Via Fontanelle 80.
In 1872, Father Gaetano Barbati decided it was time to clean up the cave. He and his followers organized and catalogued the bones. But here’s where it gets really creepy: They also inspired a cult of devotion to the dead. Volunteers weren’t just cleaning skulls. They also were praying to them and asking them for favors. In 1969, the Archbishop of Naples closed the cemetery down, worrying it had become a fetishist cult. The cave only reopened to the public full-time in 2010… and it remains filled with the bones and skulls of 40,000 nameless.
The Cimitero delle Fontanelle is open daily from 10am-5pm, except for Wednesdays. It’s located at Via Fontanelle 80.
Not far from the Fontanelle Cemetery lie the San Gaudioso catacombs. Although they go back to ancient Roman times, the catacombs didn’t get really creepy until the 17th century, when they were taken over by particularly macabre monks. Corpses would be sat into a carved-out niche with a hole, letting their body fluids drain out. Once a corpse had decomposed, it would be decapitated and the skull—along with, sometimes, other bones, like vertebrae—cemented to a wall to decorate a fresco of the corpse. The frescoes, and skulls, are still there. And since this is one of Naples’ least-visited catacombs, there’s nothing like walking through the dripping, dark, and bone-decorated gloom… alone with your guide.
The San Gaudioso catacombs are located at Piazza Sanità 14. Guided tours are available on the hour every day from 10am to 1pm. Call in advance to request an English guide.
www.walksofitaly.com
The San Gaudioso catacombs are located at Piazza Sanità 14. Guided tours are available on the hour every day from 10am to 1pm. Call in advance to request an English guide.
www.walksofitaly.com
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