Catacombs of San Gennaro: A Forgotten Saint's Burial Site in Ancient Italy

The catacombs of San Gennaro, tucked away under the Rione Sanità neighborhood in Naples, Italy, are an archaeological and religious site unlike any other. These underground passageways, carved out of tuff, a porous stone, span two levels, San Gennaro Superiore and San Gennaro Inferiore, and date back to the 3rd-4th century. Originally, the site was not an important religious burial site, but was consecrated to San Gennaro in the 5th century. The second level was the one expanded to encompass the other two adjacent cemeteries, dedicated, respectively, to Saint Gaudiosus (San Gaudioso) and St.

Januarius (San Gennaro). Between the 5th and 9th centuries, various saints, including Agrippinus and Januarius, were buried in the catacombs. Due to illicit digging between the 13th and 18th century, many of the tombs were vandalized and looted. Restoration began in the 20th century, and the catacombs were reopened to the public in 1969.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons