santuario, diocesano, San Gennaro

This sanctuary, on the north-western edge of Pozzuoli near the Solfatara, marks the spot where Saint Januarius was martyred during the Diocletian persecution, around 305. The first mention of a church here appears in the late eighth-century ‘Bolognese Acts’, but that early structure was almost certainly destroyed by the Solfatara’s eruption in 1198.

The present building was commissioned by the city of Naples in 1580, with the Caracciolo family footing the bill. Work began in January 1583, alongside plans for an attached Capuchin convent. Some local antiquarians, however, note that a smaller chapel may already have stood here, housing the marble bust of the saint still venerated within. The sanctuary was embellished in 1701 under Ferdinando Sanfelice, again at Naples’ expense, and consecrated in 1708.

In 1943, the Bishop of Pozzuoli raised it to a parish church, dedicated to Saints Januarius, Festus and Desiderius, and entrusted to the Capuchin fathers. A place of layered history, volcanic catastrophe, and civic devotion.

Description via source. Coordinates and heritage data from the Atika atlas.