Naples Cathedral

The principal church of Naples, dedicated to the patron Saint Januarius, blends Gothic origins with layers of later decoration. It is famed for the ritual liquefaction of the saint's blood, held several times a year and watched by crowds who read the outcome as an omen for the city. The gilded Royal Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro holds reliquaries and silver statues, while beneath the church survive an early basilica and a baptistery with rare mosaics. Ancient columns reused in the walls recall a classical temple that once stood here.