View source for Januarius

{{short description|Bishop of Benevento and saint}}
{{other uses}}
{{redirect-multi|2|Gennaro|San Gennaro}}
{{use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox saint
|name=Saint Januarius
|birth_date=3rd century ({{circa|lk=no|21 April 232}}{{citation needed|date=December 2023}})
|death_date={{circa|lk=no|19 September 305}}
|feast_day=19 September, [[Feast of San Gennaro]] ([[Catholic Church]])<br />21 April ([[Eastern Christianity]])<br /> Monday after second Sunday of Advent ([[Armenian Apostolic Church]])
|venerated_in=[[Catholic Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], and [[Armenian Apostolic Church]]
|image=Saint Januarius.jpg
|imagesize=200px
|caption=''Copy taken from a portrait of Saint Januarius by [[Caravaggio]]''
|birth_place=[[Benevento]] or [[Naples]], [[Campania]], [[Roman Empire]]
|death_place=[[Pozzuoli]], [[Campania]]
|titles=Bishop and Martyr
|beatified_date=
|beatified_place=
|beatified_by=
|canonized_date=
|canonized_place=
|canonized_by=
|attributes=[[vial]]s of [[blood]], [[hand|palms]], [[Mount Vesuvius]]
|patronage=[[blood bank]]s; [[Naples]]; [[volcanic eruption]]s<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://saints.sqpn.com/saintj30.htm |title=Star Quest Production Network: Saint Januarius |access-date=2008-04-13 |archive-date=2008-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080402054002/http://saints.sqpn.com/saintj30.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|major_shrine=[[Naples Cathedral]], [[Italy]] and the [[Church of the Most Precious Blood]], [[Little Italy, Manhattan]], [[New York City]].
|suppressed_date=
|issues=
}}
'''Januarius''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|dʒ|æ|n|.|j|u|ˈ|ɛər|i|ə|s}} {{respell|JAN|yoo|AIR|ee|əs}};<ref>{{cite EPD|18}}</ref> {{langx|la|Ianuarius}}; [[Neapolitan language|Neapolitan]] and {{langx|it|Gennaro}}), also known as {{nowrap|'''Januarius I of Benevento'''}}, was [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Benevento|Bishop of Benevento]] and is a [[Christian martyrs|martyr]] and [[saint]] of the Catholic Church. While no contemporary sources on his life are preserved, later sources and [[Christian legend|legends]] say he died during the [[Great Persecution]],<ref name="cathenc"/> which ended with [[Diocletian]]'s retirement in 305.

Januarius is the patron saint of [[Naples]], where the faithful gather three times a year in [[Naples Cathedral]] to witness the [[liquefaction]] of what is claimed to be a sample of his blood kept in a sealed [[ampoule]].

{{anchor|Biography|History}}
==Life==
Little is known of Januarius's life.<ref name="cathenc">{{Cite CE1913 | wstitle =St. Januarius | author =Herbert Thurston}}</ref> What follows mostly derives from later Christian sources, such as the ''Acta Bononensia'' (BHL 4132, not earlier than 6th century) and the ''Acta Vaticana'' (BHL 4115, 9th century), and later folk traditions.

===Legend===
[[File:Napoli-Ribera-San-Gennaro.jpg|thumb|left|Ribera, ''[[Saint Januarius Emerges Unscathed from the Furnace]]'', Naples Cathedral]]
According to various [[hagiographies]], Januarius was born in [[Benevento]] to a rich patrician family that traced its descent to the [[Caudini]] tribe of the [[Samnites]]. At age 15, he became local priest of his parish in Benevento, which at the time had only a small Christian community. When Januarius was 20, he became [[Bishop of Naples]] and befriended [[Juliana of Nicomedia]] and [[Saint Sossius|Sossius]], whom he met during his studies for the priesthood. During Emperor [[Diocletian]]'s {{frac|1|1|2}}-year-long persecution of Christians, Januarius hid some of his fellow Christians and prevented them from being caught. But while visiting Sossius in jail, he too was arrested. He and his colleagues were condemned to be thrown to wild bears in the [[Flavian Amphitheater (Pozzuoli)|Flavian Amphitheater]] at [[Pozzuoli]], but the sentence was changed due to fear of public disturbance, and they were instead beheaded at the [[Solfatara (volcano)|Solfatara]] crater near Pozzuoli.{{refn|group=n|For further details on these locations, see the ''[[Catholic Encyclopedia]]''{{'}}s article on "Saint Januarius".<ref name="cathenc"/>}} Other legends say either that the wild beasts refused to eat him or that he was thrown into a furnace but came out unscathed.

===History===
The earliest historical reference to Januarius is in a letter by Uranius, [[bishop of Nola]], dated 432, on the death of his mentor [[Paulinus of Nola]].<ref name=yuri>Uranius Nolanius (432), ''De Vita et Obitu Paulini Nolani''.  Published by [[Surius]] as ''Epistola "De Obitu Sancti Paulini" ''[http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/04z/z_0432-0432__Urbanus_Presbyter__Epistola_%27De_Obitu_Sancti_Paulini%27_%5BEx_Surio%5D__MLT.pdf.html Online version] accessed on 2009-06-20.</ref><ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20091106143025/http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/3617.html "Uranius"]}} in ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities'' edited William Smith (1870).</ref> The letter says the ghosts of Januarius and [[Martin of Tours]] appeared to Paulinus three days before his death in 431. Of Januarius, the letter says only that he was "bishop as well as martyr, an illustrious member of the Neapolitan church".{{refn|group=n|Latin: ''{{lang|la|Ianuarius, episcopus simul et martyr, Neapolitanae urbis illustrat ecclesiam}}''.<ref name=yuri/>}} The Acta Bononensia says, "At Pozzuoli in Campania [is honored the memory] of the holy martyrs Januarius, Bishop of Beneventum, Festus his [[deacon]], and Desiderius [[lector]], together with [[Saint Sossius|Sossius]] deacon of the church of [[Misenum]], [[Proculus of Pozzuoli|Proculus]], deacon of [[diocese of Pozzuoli|Pozzuoli]], Eutyches, and Acutius, who after chains and imprisonment were beheaded under the emperor [[Diocletian]]".<ref name="cathenc"/>

==Legacy==
===Celebrations===
{{main|Feast of San Gennaro}}
[[File:Spadaro eruzione vesuvio.jpg|thumb|San Gennaro procession in Naples, 1631]]
The [[Feast of San Gennaro]] is celebrated on 19 September in the [[General Roman Calendar]] of the Catholic Church.<ref>"Martyrologium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2001 {{ISBN|88-209-7210-7}}).</ref>{{refn|group=n|In the 1498 Roman martyrology, his martyrdom took place on the thirteenth day before the [[kalends]] of October or 19 September.<ref>J. O'Connell, "The [[Roman Martyrology]]" [London 1962] ''s.v.'' September 19.</ref>}} In the Eastern Church, it is celebrated on 21 April.<ref>''Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' (Oxford University Press, 2005 {{ISBN|978-0-19-280290-3}})</ref> The city of [[Naples]] has more than 50 official [[patron saints of Naples|patron saints]], but its principal patron is Saint Januarius.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/90841|title= Sant' Aspreno di Napoli|date=19 April 2002|publisher=Santi e Beati|access-date=29 August 2008}}</ref>

In the [[United States]], the Feast of San Gennaro is also a highlight of the year for [[New York City|New York]]'s [[Little Italy, Manhattan|Little Italy]], with the saint's [[polychrome]] statue carried through the middle of a [[street fair]] stretching for blocks.

===Relics===
[[Image:Januarius.jpg|right|200px|thumb|''Martyrdom of Saint Januarius'' by [[Girolamo Pesce]]]]
[[File:The Martyrdom of St Januarius in the Amphitheatre at Pozzuoli.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''[[Saint Januarius in the Amphitheatre at Pozzuoli|The Martyrdom of St Januarius]]'', by [[Artemisia Gentileschi]] (1636)]]
[[Image:Guglia di San Gennaro - Napoli - 2013-05-16 10-29-52.jpg|thumb|200px|right|The spire of the ''Cattedrale di San Gennaro'' ([[Naples Cathedral]])]]
According to an early [[hagiography]],{{refn|group=n|Hagiographies of St Januarius are compiled in the 6th volume of the ''Acta Sanctorum Septembris''.<ref>{{citation |editor-first=J. |editor-last=Carnandet |location=Paris |date=1867 |pages=761–892 |title=Acta Sanctorum Septembris, ''Vol. VI'' }}. {{in lang|la}}</ref>}} Januarius's [[relic]]s were transferred by order of [[Severus of Naples|Severus]], [[Bishop of Naples]], to the [[Catacombs of San Gennaro|Neapolitan catacombs]] "[[extra moenia|outside the walls]]" (''{{lang|la|extra moenia}}'').<ref>Norman (1986), p. 331</ref>{{refn|group=n|A condensed account of the removals of the relics is given by [[Diana Norman|Norman]].<ref>{{citation |last=Norman |first=Diana |contribution=The Succorpo in the Cathedral of Naples: 'Empress of All Chapels' |title=Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte, ''Vol.&nbsp;49, No.&nbsp;3'' |date=1986 |pages=323–355 }}.</ref>}} In the early ninth century the body was moved to [[Benevento|Beneventum]] by [[Sico of Benevento|Sico]], [[princes of Benevento|prince]] of [[principality of Benevento|Benevento]], with the head remaining in Naples. Subsequently, during the turmoil at the time of [[Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick Barbarossa]], his body was moved again, to the [[Territorial Abbey of Montevergine]], where it was rediscovered in 1480.

In 1497, at the instigation of Cardinal [[Oliviero Carafa]], the body was transferred to Naples, where he is the city's [[patron saint]]. Carafa commissioned a richly decorated [[crypt]], the ''Succorpo'', beneath the [[Naples Cathedral|cathedral]] to house the reunited body and head. The ''Succorpo'' was finished in 1506 and is considered one of the city's prominent monuments of the [[High Renaissance]].<ref>Norman 1986:323-355.</ref>

===Blood===
Januarius is famous for the annual liquefaction of his blood, which, according to legend, was saved by a woman named Eusebia just after his death. A chronicle of Naples written in 1382 describes the cult of Saint Januarius in detail, but mentions neither the relic nor the miracle.<ref name="cicap"/><ref name="altamura">(1382) ''Croniche de Inclyta Cità de Napole'' In Altamura, Antonio (ed.), ''Cronaca di Partenope'', Napoli, 1974</ref> The first certain date is 1389, when it was found to have melted.<ref>''Chronicon Siculum'' [1340-1396], ed. Giuseppe De Blasiis, Naples, 1887, p. 85</ref><ref>Norman 1993:332 and note.</ref> Over the next two and a half centuries official reports began to appear declaring that the blood spontaneously melted, at first once a year, then twice, and finally three times a year. While the report of the first incidence of liquefaction made no explicit reference to the saint's skull, soon afterward assertions began to appear that this relic was activating the melting process, as if the blood, recognizing a part of the body to which it belonged, "were impatient while waiting for its resurrection".<ref>Cesare Baronio, ''Annales Ecclesiastici'', Rome 1594, vol. 2, p. 803.</ref> This explanation was definitively abandoned only in the 18th century.<ref>de Ceglia Francesco Paolo, "Thinking with the Saint: The Miracle of Saint Januarius of Naples and Science in Early Modern Europe" in ''Early Science and Medicine'' 19 (2014), p. 133-173</ref>

Thousands of people assemble to witness this event in Naples Cathedral three times a year: on 19 September (Saint Januarius's Day, commemorating his martyrdom), 16 December (celebrating his patronage of Naples and its archdiocese), and the Saturday before the first Sunday of May (commemorating the reunification of his relics).<ref>[http://www.tredy.com/m/museo-chiesa-di-san-gennaro-duomo-napoli-it-20-m.htm Chiesa di San Gennaro - Duomo (Napoli)]</ref>

The blood is also said to spontaneously liquefy at certain other times, such as [[pope|papal]] visits. It supposedly liquefied in the presence of [[Pope Pius IX]] in 1848, but not that of [[John Paul II]] in 1979 or [[Benedict XVI]] in 2007.<ref>{{cite news|title=Blood of St. Januarius liquefies during Francis' visit to Naples|url=http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/03/21/blood-of-st-januarius-liquifies-during-franciss-visit-to-naples/|publisher=Catholic Herald|date=March 21, 2015}}</ref> On March 21, 2015, [[Pope Francis]] [[veneration|venerated]] the dried blood during a visit to [[Naples Cathedral]], saying the [[Lord's Prayer]] over it and kissing it. [[Crescenzio Sepe|Archbishop Sepe]] then said, "The blood has half liquefied, which shows that Saint Januarius loves our pope and Naples."<ref name=Benge>{{cite news|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/pope-francis-performs-miracle-in-naples-turns-dry-blood-to-liquid-video-136174/|title=Pope Francis Performs 'Miracle' In Naples; Turns Dry Blood to Liquid|publisher=Christian Post|author=Benge Nsenduluka|date=March 23, 2015}}</ref>

When the blood fails to liquefy it is said to be a bad omen, some people even correlate some of the years when the miracle did not happen with wars or pandemics. Times where the blood did not liquefy include: September 1939, September 1940, September 1943, September 1973, September 1980, December 2016<ref>{{Cite web |last=CNA |title=San Gennaro's blood didn't liquefy--so pray anyway, abbot says |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/35126/san-gennaros-blood-didnt-liquefy-so-pray-anyway-abbot-says |access-date=2025-10-18 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}}</ref> and December 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-17 |title='Bad omen': Dismay in Italy as blood of Naples saint fails to liquefy |url=https://www.thelocal.it/20201217/bad-omen-dismay-in-italy-as-blood-of-naples-saint-fails-to-liquefy |access-date=2025-10-18 |website=The Local Italy |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pesce |first=Gabriele |date=2024-12-16 |title=Cos'è successo in passato quando il sangue di San Gennaro non si è sciolto? |url=https://www.bolognacronaca.it/news/tendenze/428290/cos-e-successo-in-passato-quando-il-sangue-di-san-gennaro-non-si-e-sciolto.html |access-date=2025-10-18 |website=www.bolognacronaca.it |language=it}}</ref> The blood usually takes anywhere from 2 minutes to one hour to fully liquify but it can take days.

====Ritual liquefaction====
[[File:Die Gartenlaube (1860) b 524.jpg|thumb|left|100px|Drawing of the reliquary containing the two ampoules said to hold Januarius' blood, c. 1860]]
The blood is stored in two hermetically sealed small [[ampoule]]s, held since the 17th century in a [[silver]] [[reliquary]] between two round glass plates about 12&nbsp;cm wide. The smaller, cylindrical ampoule contains only a few reddish spots on its walls, the bulk having allegedly been removed and taken to [[Spain]] by [[Charles III of Spain|Charles III]]. The larger, almond-shaped ampoule, with a capacity of about 60 [[milliliter|ml]], is about 60% filled with a dark reddish substance.<ref name="santi">[http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/29200 San Gennaro: Vescovo e martire] (in Italian)</ref><ref name="cicap"/> Separate reliquaries hold bone fragments believed to belong to Januarius.

The ampoules are kept in a bank vault whose keys are held by a commission of local notables, including the mayor of Naples; the bones are kept in a crypt under Naples Cathedral's main altar. On feast days, these relics are taken in procession from the cathedral to the [[Santa Chiara (Naples)|Monastery of Santa Chiara]], where the [[archbishop]] holds up the reliquary and tilts it to show that the contents are solid, then places it on the high altar next to the saint's other relics. After intense prayers by the faithful, including the so-called "relatives of Saint Januarius" (''parenti di San Gennaro''), the content of the larger vial typically appears to liquify. The archbishop then holds up the vial and tilts it again to demonstrate that liquefaction has taken place. The ampoules remain exposed on the altar for eight days, while the priests move or turn them periodically to show that the contents remain liquid.<ref name="santi"/> Sir [[Francis Ronalds]] gives a detailed description of the May 1819 ritual in his travel journal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sirfrancisronalds.co.uk/naples3.html|title=Sir Francis Ronalds' Travel Journal: Naples and the Miracle|website=Sir Francis Ronalds and his Family|access-date=11 February 2018}}</ref>

The liquefaction sometimes takes place almost immediately and sometimes takes hours or even days. According to records kept at the Duomo, on rare occasions the contents fail to liquify, are found already liquified when the ampoules are taken from the safe,<ref>"Sangue di San Gennaro liquefatto prima della processione" ''Corriere dell Sera'', 4 May 1997, p.15</ref> or liquify outside the usual dates.<ref name="santi"/>

====Scientific studies====
[[File:Sangue San Gennaro.jpg|thumb|left|The reliquary being held upside-down during 2022 Saint Januarius's Day celebrations, revealing the liquid inside the ampoules]]
While the Catholic Church has always supported the celebrations, it has never formulated an official statement on the phenomenon and maintains a neutral stance about scientific investigations.<ref name="santi"/> It does not permit the vials to be opened, for fear that doing so may cause irreparable damage. This makes close analysis impossible. Nevertheless, a spectroscopic analysis performed in 1902 by Gennaro Sperindeo claimed that the spectrum was consistent with [[hemoglobin]].<ref>Gennaro, Sperindeo and Raffaele Januario (1901), ''Il Miracolo di S. Gennaro'', 3rd ed., Naples, D'Auria, p. 67-72.</ref> A later analysis, with similar conclusions, was carried out by a team in 1989,<ref>F. D'Onofrio; P. L. Baima Bollone; M. Cannas; quoted by [[Michele Cardinal Giordano]] (1990), ''Prolusione'', in ''Proceedings of the Symposium on the VI centenary of the first liquefaction of the blood (1389–1989),'' December 1989, Napoli, Torre del Greco (Napoli), p. 10.</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=October 2015}} but the reliability of these observations has been questioned.<ref name="cicap"/> While clotted blood can be liquefied by mechanical stirring, the resulting suspension cannot solidify again.<ref name="cicap"/>

Measurements made in 1900 and 1904 claimed that the ampoules' weight increased by up to 28&nbsp;grams during liquefaction. Later measurements with a precision balance, performed over five years, failed to detect any variation.<ref name="cicap"/>

Various suggestions for the contents' composition have been advanced, such as a material that is [[photosensitive]], [[hygroscopic]], or has a low melting point.<ref>Eusèbe Salverte, ''Des sciences occultes ou essai sur la magie, les prodiges et les miracles'', Paris, Baillière, 1826.</ref><ref>Henri Broch. ''Le Paranormal'' (1985); ed. ext., Paris, Seuil, 1989, p. 109</ref><ref>Joe Nickell, John F. Fischer, ''Mysterious Realms'', Buffalo, Prometheus Books, 1993, p 159.</ref>  These explanations face technical difficulties, such as the variability of the phenomenon and its lack of correlation to ambient temperature.<ref name="cicap"/>

A recent hypothesis by Garlaschelli & al. is that the vial contains a [[thixotropy|thixotropic]] [[gel]].<ref name="cicap">{{Cite journal | first1=L. | last1=Garlaschelli | first2=F. | last2=Ramaccini | first3=S. | last3=Della Sala | title=The Blood of St. Januarius | journal=Chemistry in Britain | volume=30 | issue=2 | year=1994 | page=123 | url=http://www.cicap.org/en_artic/at101014.htm | access-date=July 28, 2009 | archive-date=April 26, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426063254/http://www.cicap.org/en_artic/at101014.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="csi">{{cite web | last =Christopher | first =Kevin | title =The Miracle Blood of Saint Januarius | publisher = Committee for Skeptical Inquiry | date = 2000-09-22 | url =http://www.csicop.org/list/listarchive/msg00107.html | access-date =2007-03-02 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070206214843/http://www.csicop.org/list/listarchive/msg00107.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-02-06}};</ref> In such a substance viscosity increases if left unstirred and decreases if stirred or moved. Researchers have proposed specifically a suspension of [[Iron(III) oxide-hydroxide|hydrated iron oxide]], FeO(OH), which reproduces the color and behavior of the "blood" in the ampoule.<ref>Luigi Garlaschelli (2002), ''Sangue Prodigioso''. La Chimica e l'Industria., 84 (6), p.67-70  [http://www.luigigarlaschelli.it/Other%20Pubbl/SProd.Ch.Ind.html Online version] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110108021224/http://www.luigigarlaschelli.it/Other%20Pubbl/SProd.Ch.Ind.html |date=2011-01-08 }} accessed on 2009-06-20. (In Italian).</ref> The suspension can be prepared from simple chemicals that were easily available locally since antiquity.<ref name="jse">{{cite journal | last1 =Epstein | first1 =Michael | last2 =Garlaschelli | first2 =Luigi | title =Better Blood Through Chemistry: A Laboratory Replication of a Miracle | journal =[[Journal of Scientific Exploration]] | volume =6 | pages =233–246 | year =1992 | url =http://www.scientificexploration.org/journal/jse_06_3_epstein.pdf | access-date =2007-03-02 | url-status =dead | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20090717034928/http://www.scientificexploration.org/journal/jse_06_3_epstein.pdf | archive-date =2009-07-17 }}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=February 2020}}<ref name="times">{{cite news  | last =Owen | first =Richard | title =Naples blood boils at miracle's 'debunking' | work =[[The Times]] | publisher =Times Newspapers Ltd | date = 2005-09-20 | url =http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article568487.ece | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070311093513/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article568487.ece | url-status =dead | archive-date =11 March 2007 | access-date =2007-03-02 | location=London}}</ref>

In 2010, Giuseppe Geraci, a professor in the Department of Molecular Biology at Naples's [[Universita Federico II|Frederick II University]], conducted an experiment on a vial containing old blood—a relic dating to the 18th century from the ''Eremo di Camaldoli'' near [[Arezzo]] in [[Tuscany]]—having the same characteristics of the blood of Januarius.<ref>{{cite news | title =San Gennaro, spunta una seconda ampolla con dentro il sangue | publisher =Metropolis Web | date =2010-02-05 | url =http://www.metropolisweb.it/Notizie/Campania/Cronaca/san_gennaro_spunta_seconda_ampolla_dentro_sangue.aspx | access-date =2013-09-23 | location =Naples | archive-date =27 September 2013 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20130927055923/http://www.metropolisweb.it/Notizie/Campania/Cronaca/san_gennaro_spunta_seconda_ampolla_dentro_sangue.aspx | url-status =dead }}</ref> Geraci showed that the Camaldoli relic also contains blood that can change its solid-liquid phase by shaking.<ref name="Piedimonte">{{cite news  | last =Piedimonte | first =Antonio Emanuele | title =Geraci, la rivelazione 11 anni fa al Corriere "Il sangue c'è e l'ho visto, il miracolo no" | publisher =RCS Corriere del Mezzogiorno | date = 2010-02-05 | url =http://corrieredelmezzogiorno.corriere.it/napoli/notizie/arte_e_cultura/2010/5-febbraio-2010/geraci-rivelazione-11-anni-fa-corriere-il-sangue-c-e-ho-visto-miracolo-no-1602412830498.shtml | access-date =2013-09-23 | location=Naples}}</ref> He further reproduced the phenomenon with his own blood stored in the same conditions as the Camaldoli relic. He wrote, "There is no univocal scientific fact that explains why these changes take place. It is not enough to attribute to the movement the ability to dissolve the blood, the liquid contained in the Treasure case changes state for reasons still to be identified."<ref>{{cite news  | last =De Lucia | first =Michele | title =Miracolo di San Gennaro, un test dimostra che nell'ampolla c'è sangue umano | publisher =Positano News | date = 2010-02-05 | url =http://www.positanonews.it/articoli/33495/miracolo_di_san_gennaro_un_test_dimostrache_nellampolla_ce_sangue_umano.html | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100207131254/http://www.positanonews.it/articoli/33495/miracolo_di_san_gennaro_un_test_dimostrache_nellampolla_ce_sangue_umano.html | url-status =dead | archive-date =2010-02-07 | access-date =2013-09-23 | location=Naples}}</ref> He concluded, "there's blood, no miracle".<ref name="Piedimonte"/>

A book by the historian of science Francesco Paolo de Ceglia traces the research of various scientists over the centuries to explain the phenomenon, which, according to him, has a thermal origin, since the (alleged) blood, in September, when the temperature is highest, is already extracted in liquid form from the tabernacle that stores it. In May it takes longer, and in December it takes much longer. This last annual "miracle" did not take place for many years, but lately, with climate change and the rising temperature in Naples, it has happened more often.<ref>Francesco Paolo de Ceglia, ''The Natural History of a Neapolitan Miracle. The Secret of San Gennaro’s Blood'', London-New York, Routledge, 2025.</ref>

====Similar rites====
Although Naples became known as "City of Blood" (''{{lang|la|urbs sanguinum}}''),{{citation needed|date=October 2015}} legends of blood liquefaction are not a unique phenomenon. Other examples include vials of the blood of [[Saint Patricia]] and Saint [[John the Baptist]] in the monastery of [[San Gregorio Armeno]], and of [[Saint Pantaleon]] in [[Ravello]]. In all, the church has recognized claims of miraculous liquefying blood for seven<ref name="randi"/> or about twenty<ref>{{citation |title= Relics of the Christ |author= Joe Nickell |publisher= University Press of Kentucky |year= 2007 |page= 46 |isbn= 9780813172125 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=A9sj9XmdmekC&pg=PA46 }}</ref> saints from [[Campania]] and virtually nowhere else.<ref name=lanky/> The other saints' blood cults have been discontinued since the 16th century, which noted skeptic [[James Randi]] takes as evidence that local artisans or [[alchemist]]s had a secret recipe for manufacturing this type of relic.<ref name="randi">{{cite book|first=Randi |last=James |author-link=James Randi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gr4snwg7iaEC |chapter=The Liquefying 'Blood' of St. Januarius| editor-first=Michael |editor-last=Shermer|title=Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience|year=2002 |pages=371–372|publisher=Abc-Clio |isbn=9781576076538}}</ref> A team of three Italian chemists{{who|date=October 2015}} created a liquid that reproduces all the characteristics and behavior of the liquid in the vial, using only local materials and techniques known to medieval workers.<ref name="randi"/><ref name="nickell">{{cite web | last =Nickell | first =Joe | title =Examining Miracle Claims | work =Hidden Mysteries: Religion's Frauds, Lies, Control | url =http://www.hiddenmysteries.org/religion/christianity/miracleclaims.shtml | format =Excerpt from an article that appeared in March 1996 issue of ''Deolog'' | access-date =2 March 2007 | archive-date =20 October 2007 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071020040553/http://www.hiddenmysteries.org/religion/christianity/miracleclaims.shtml | url-status =dead }}</ref><ref>{{citation |title= The new encyclopedia of unbelief |author= Joe Nickell |editor= Tom Flynn |editor-link= Tom Flynn (author) |publisher= Prometheus Books |year= 2007 |isbn= 9781591023913 |page= 541 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=YR4RAQAAIAAJ }}</ref> Jordan Lancaster leaves open the possibility that the practice was a Christian version of a [[ancient Roman religion|pagan ritual]] intended to protect the locals from unexpected eruptions from [[Mount Vesuvius]].<ref name=lanky>Jordan Lancaster, ''In the shadow of Vesuvius'', Tauris, 2005</ref>

===Museum of the Treasure of St. Januarius===
{{main|Museum of the Treasure of St. Januarius}}
[[File:Procession des reliques de Saint Janvier en 1822.jpg|thumb|''[[Procession of Saint Januarius During an Eruption of Vesuvius]]'' by [[Antoine Jean-Baptiste Thomas]], 1822]]
The Treasure of St. Januarius is a collection of works and donations collected over seven centuries from popes, kings, emperors, and other famous and ordinary people. According to studies by a pool of experts who analyzed all the pieces in the collection, the Treasure of St. Januarius is of higher value than the crown of [[Queen Elizabeth II]] of the [[United Kingdom]] and the [[Tsar of Russia|Tsar]] of [[Tsardom of Russia|Russia]]. The Treasure is a unique collection of art masterpieces, kept untouched thanks to the Deputation of the Chapel of St Januarius, a secular institution founded in 1527 by a vote of the city of Naples.

The Treasure is exhibited in the [[Museum of the Treasure of St. Januarius]], whose entrance is on the right side of the Dome of Naples, under the arcades. By visiting the museum, the Chapel of San Gennaro is accessible even when the cathedral is closed.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.museosangennaro.it/ |title=''Official website'' |publisher=Museo San Gennaro }}. {{in lang|it}}</ref>

==See also==
{{commons category|Saint Januarius}}
* [[Feast of San Gennaro]], as held annually in New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas
* [[Order of St. Januarius]]
* [[Museum of the Treasure of St Januarius]]
* [[Portal:Catholicism/Patron Archive/September 19|Saint Januarius, patron saint archive]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=n}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Januarius, St |volume= 15 |last= Delehaye |first= Hippolyte |author-link= Hippolyte Delehaye | page = 155 |short= 1 }}
*[https://www.cicap.org/n/articolo.php?id=101014 CICAP: "The Blood of St. Januarius"]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040811041315/http://www.geocities.com/mpbchurch/san_gennaro.htm San Gennaro]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20161103173734/http://www.sangennaro.org/ New York's Feast of San Gennaro]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070218194514/http://www.fatemag.com/issues/2000s/2006-07article3a.html The Blood Still Boils] by [[Doug Skinner]], [[Fate (magazine)|Fate]], July 2006

{{Subject bar |portal1= Biography |portal2= Catholicism |portal3= Italy}}
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[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Year of death uncertain]]
[[Category:3rd-century births]]
[[Category:305 deaths]]
[[Category:4th-century Italian bishops]]
[[Category:Bishops of Naples]]
[[Category:4th-century Christian martyrs]]
[[Category:3rd-century Romans]]
[[Category:Christians martyred during the reign of Diocletian]]