Gennaro's Blood

Exuberant in all things, the people of Naples reserve their most pious transports for their patron San Gennaro (St. Januarius), Bishop of Beneventum who was martyred about 305 A. D. In the treasure chapel of Naples Cathedral are a silver bust believed to contain San Gennaro's head, a reliquary holding two vials of what is supposed to be his blood. Last week brought the feast of San Gennaro. Into the Cathedral thronged clergy, civil officials and masses of Neapolitans. On the altar stood the silver bust. Bearing aloft the reliquary an officiant brought it within San Gennaro's view, turned it upside down to exhibit in one vial an opaque, solid mass. The crowd prayed loudly, none more fervently than a group of poor women chosen as zie di San Gennaro (aunts of the saint).

After an hour of prayers the people beheld the dark mass grow soft, turn red, increase in volume, bubble into a liquid. "Il miracolo e fatto!" cried the officiant. ''The miracle is made!" The choir sang a Te Deum. The worshippers scrambled up to the altar rail to kiss the reliquary. Outside sounded a nine-gun salute.

The miraculous liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius usually occurs 18 times a year. Sometimes the solid mass in the vial changes to a red fluid in two minutes. Never does it take longer than an hour. The success of last week's exposition led Neapolitans to interpret it as a good omen for the birth of the daughter born to the Crown Prince and Princess of Italy (see P. 46).

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