In case you have been reading too much of this blog and you are not too familiar with Italian history, Catholic Church and its Miracles, you must know that San Gennaro is the patron of Naples and a man whose blood liquifies twice a year in a church in Naples. Not always, but, if it does, it will bring good luck to the city and the region. Since I saw Gomorra, last night, I pray that the blood liquifies all the time.
Read the story of San Gennaro, the real San Gennaro and not the tomato, on Bianca Ottone’s website, My Italian Family. Bianca helps you trace back your Italian roots or plan visits to the villages your ancestors came from.
I agree San Gennaro is perhaps one of the most popular saints of all time, closely followed by Saint Francis of Assisi. Its veneration is kept alive by these yearly blood liquefaction ceremonies and the first one took place in 1389!
One of our readers wrote us after we sent out this newsletter and told us the following:
for may years his (San Gennaro) remains were hidden at the Shrine of Montevergine in the province of Avellino. The same place that the Shroud of Turin was hidden from the Germans during World War II.
That was something I did not know…
Beatrice, thank you for posting our newsletter in your Gustiamo blog.
Bianca
http://www.myitalianfamily.com