Catacombs of San Gennaro

Italy Campania NaplesCatacombs of San Gennaro

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Cultural Heritage from early Christian era! The weather forecast for 4th May 2019 was 80% rain. Looking for a rainy-day activity, our family of four adults and two children arrived at the ticket offices of Catacombs of San Genero at about 1045 am. These offices are located next to Madre del Buon Consiglio Church, where we parked our car. (Catacomb is a man-made subterranean passageway used as a religious burial place). One-hour long tours to the Catacombs are conducted hourly from 10 am to 5 pm on Monday to Saturday and 10 am to 2 pm on Sundays. The tickets cost €9 for adults, €5 for under sixteens and €6 for seniors over 65+ years. I believe that tours are led in English, French and of course, Italian. Since the quota for the 11 am tour was already full, we purchased tickets for the 12-noon tour. While waiting for the tour to commence, we had some tea and drinks from the Kiosk next to the ticket offices. At 1200 noon the guide led us for about 100 metres from their offices in drizzling rain, and then down about 100 steps to the entrance. The Catacombs are in two levels. This vast, spacious early Christian burial grounds had been constructed by excavating tuff, a rocky material formed by fusion of volcanic sand and smaller rock fragments. The imposing ceilings of the older, lower catacomb are about 6 metres high dating back to second century AD. In addition to the burial spaces, it holds a functioning church, Basilica of San Agrippino, and a baptismal font (bowl used during baptism). On both floors are many burial sites, some on the floor, others one above the other on the side walls, depending probably on the person's social status. The patron saint of Naples, San Genero had been initially buried here, though his remains had been moved later. Being a place of religious worship, many other bishops and priests too had been buried here. Several early Christian paintings too can be seen here, preserved for posterity. It is advisable to wear warm clothing (sweater) and comfortable shoes as it is quite cold and slippery in some areas. The guide was very familiar with the history of the catacombs and was quite emotive and expressive during her explanations. I was very happy with the tour that lasted an hour and was especially pleased to see the conservation efforts and work carried out within so that this cultural heritage could be preserved.

Seevali De AbrewSeevali De Abrew

Catacombs of San Gennaro in Naples are a fascinating and recommended attraction for visitors. You can choose the tour in Italian or English. Although not a large complex, the tour is accompanied by a full and detailed explanation in very good English, making it accessible and interesting for those looking for something different from the city atmosphere. The story behind the catacombs is really interesting. The tour is an enchanting dive into history with highly trained guides and a good explanation of the place. The relics and remains of bodies are not there, you cannot see them. Visitors can get free access to another catacomb with the same ticket, which is valid for a year. The ticket from San Gennaro is also valid for San Gaudioso without additional costs, it is valid for a year. Both catacombs are recommended for those interested in learning about ancient burial methods. Visitors with the Naples 3-day card can get a discount on the ticket. The catacombs are run by the group of skilled young people, who are praised for their efforts in restoring and reopening the site to tourists. The catacombs were reopened in 2006. The temperature underground is pleasant during the hot summer months. Visitors can choose to exit from the Sanità district or return with the guide.

Ingrid KacaniovaIngrid Kacaniova

I had the chance to explore the Catacombe di San Gennaro in Naples and it was such an amazing experience! These ancient underground burial sites are filled with history and intrigue. As you descend into the catacombs, you're surrounded by rows of tombs and beautifully preserved frescoes that date back centuries. It's a fascinating glimpse into the past and a unique way to learn about the early Christian community in Naples. The guided tour was informative and engaging, providing insights into the lives and traditions of the people buried there. I was particularly struck by the sheer scale of the catacombs and the intricate details of the artwork. It's truly awe-inspiring to see how these underground chambers were used as sacred spaces for worship and remembrance. One of the highlights of the tour was visiting the Chapel of the Bishops, where you can see the remains of San Gennaro, the patron saint of Naples. It's a humbling experience to be in the presence of such an important figure in the city's history. Overall, I highly recommend visiting the Catacombe di San Gennaro if you're in Naples. It's a unique and educational experience that offers a glimpse into the rich cultural and religious heritage of the city.

Laloena AacherLaloena Aacher

Excellent guided tours in English or Italian into the underground world of Naples. The organization that started it all in 2008. It is an NGO employing mostly people from the local Sanità neighborhood. Separate small English or Italian groups leave every half hour, so good hearing of and interaction with the guide. Recommended to buy tickets in advance via their own website. Tours take about 45-50 minutes. At the end of the tour, in the old empty church hall, listen carefully to the guide, you can either leave through the nearby exit into the Sanità neighborhood, different from where you started, or wait in the church hall for the guide to show you the way back up the stairs to where you started, at the ticket office. The ticket remains valid for one year to also visit the guided tour of the Catacombe di San Gaudioso. Not well-known is that you can park your car for free during the tour at the entrance at Via Capodimonte, next to the church and ticket office. Facilities also include a small cafeteria, souvenir shop, and toilets.

Pedro de PedraPedro de Pedra

Oh, this place is mesmerizing! I fell in love with this city, there are so many interesting things both on land and at sea. And here are these incredible catacombs with these tombs of ancient Christians and all these magnificent frescoes painted on the stone walls. We are very glad that we saw this sinister but majestic creation of ancient people with our own eyes, looked at those burials in cemeteries carved in stone. The lovely girl guide (who didn't speak English very well) said that all the buried remains in the 19th century were taken out of here and buried elsewhere. This made us a little sad. This place was named in honor of St. Januarius (San Gennaro). The history of this complex of three cemeteries begins in the 3rd-4th centuries AD. It's pretty cool there, if I'm not mistaken, about 15-16 degrees Celsius. Everyone should visit this place. By the way, there is another famous catacomb nearby.

Kakha KhmelidzeKakha Khmelidze

One big BRA-VO for this tour! English guide girl made it so interesting, with no rush and enough time to enjoy the views after her stories, this was one great experience! And so fascinating that people made it all available to the world by volunteering, hats down to Sanita people! Take care of your treasure, it was an honour to walk this route! 🙏🏻 To the future visitors - do buy tickets online, because you may end up without free spots to enter. This tour is limited to a number of people, unlike Sotteranea where everyone can enter and you end up in a terrible big group... online buying process is smooth, we bought a ticket to 14.30 for Gennaro and we managed to get in to 17h tour of Gaudioso right after. A great way to compare both, and you get both entries for 11€ which is very very nice.

Marija NikolićMarija Nikolić

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Address

Via Capodimonte, 13, 80100 Napoli NA, Italy

Map

Phone

+39 081 744 3714

Call

Website

catacombedinapoli.it

Visit

Overview

4.7

(4.9K reviews)

cultural

accessibility

Description

The Catacombs of San Gennaro are underground paleo-Christian burial and worship sites in Naples, Italy, carved out of tuff, a porous stone. They are situated in the northern part of the city, on the slope leading up to Capodimonte, consisting of two levels, San Gennaro Superiore, and San Gennaro Inferiore.

The Hit List

Restaurants

Best 10 Restaurants to Visit in Naples

February 26·5 min read

Attractions

Best 10 Attractions to Visit in Naples

February 26·5 min read

Cultural Heritage from early Christian era! The weather forecast for 4th May 2019 was 80% rain. Looking for a rainy-day activity, our family of four adults and two children arrived at the ticket offices of Catacombs of San Genero at about 1045 am. These offices are located next to Madre del Buon Consiglio Church, where we parked our car. (Catacomb is a man-made subterranean passageway used as a religious burial place). One-hour long tours to the Catacombs are conducted hourly from 10 am to 5 pm on Monday to Saturday and 10 am to 2 pm on Sundays. The tickets cost €9 for adults, €5 for under sixteens and €6 for seniors over 65+ years. I believe that tours are led in English, French and of course, Italian. Since the quota for the 11 am tour was already full, we purchased tickets for the 12-noon tour. While waiting for the tour to commence, we had some tea and drinks from the Kiosk next to the ticket offices. At 1200 noon the guide led us for about 100 metres from their offices in drizzling rain, and then down about 100 steps to the entrance. The Catacombs are in two levels. This vast, spacious early Christian burial grounds had been constructed by excavating tuff, a rocky material formed by fusion of volcanic sand and smaller rock fragments. The imposing ceilings of the older, lower catacomb are about 6 metres high dating back to second century AD. In addition to the burial spaces, it holds a functioning church, Basilica of San Agrippino, and a baptismal font (bowl used during baptism). On both floors are many burial sites, some on the floor, others one above the other on the side walls, depending probably on the person's social status. The patron saint of Naples, San Genero had been initially buried here, though his remains had been moved later. Being a place of religious worship, many other bishops and priests too had been buried here. Several early Christian paintings too can be seen here, preserved for posterity. It is advisable to wear warm clothing (sweater) and comfortable shoes as it is quite cold and slippery in some areas. The guide was very familiar with the history of the catacombs and was quite emotive and expressive during her explanations. I was very happy with the tour that lasted an hour and was especially pleased to see the conservation efforts and work carried out within so that this cultural heritage could be preserved.

Seevali De AbrewSeevali De Abrew

Catacombs of San Gennaro in Naples are a fascinating and recommended attraction for visitors. You can choose the tour in Italian or English. Although not a large complex, the tour is accompanied by a full and detailed explanation in very good English, making it accessible and interesting for those looking for something different from the city atmosphere. The story behind the catacombs is really interesting. The tour is an enchanting dive into history with highly trained guides and a good explanation of the place. The relics and remains of bodies are not there, you cannot see them. Visitors can get free access to another catacomb with the same ticket, which is valid for a year. The ticket from San Gennaro is also valid for San Gaudioso without additional costs, it is valid for a year. Both catacombs are recommended for those interested in learning about ancient burial methods. Visitors with the Naples 3-day card can get a discount on the ticket. The catacombs are run by the group of skilled young people, who are praised for their efforts in restoring and reopening the site to tourists. The catacombs were reopened in 2006. The temperature underground is pleasant during the hot summer months. Visitors can choose to exit from the Sanità district or return with the guide.

Ingrid KacaniovaIngrid Kacaniova

I had the chance to explore the Catacombe di San Gennaro in Naples and it was such an amazing experience! These ancient underground burial sites are filled with history and intrigue. As you descend into the catacombs, you're surrounded by rows of tombs and beautifully preserved frescoes that date back centuries. It's a fascinating glimpse into the past and a unique way to learn about the early Christian community in Naples. The guided tour was informative and engaging, providing insights into the lives and traditions of the people buried there. I was particularly struck by the sheer scale of the catacombs and the intricate details of the artwork. It's truly awe-inspiring to see how these underground chambers were used as sacred spaces for worship and remembrance. One of the highlights of the tour was visiting the Chapel of the Bishops, where you can see the remains of San Gennaro, the patron saint of Naples. It's a humbling experience to be in the presence of such an important figure in the city's history. Overall, I highly recommend visiting the Catacombe di San Gennaro if you're in Naples. It's a unique and educational experience that offers a glimpse into the rich cultural and religious heritage of the city.

Laloena AacherLaloena Aacher

Excellent guided tours in English or Italian into the underground world of Naples. The organization that started it all in 2008. It is an NGO employing mostly people from the local Sanità neighborhood. Separate small English or Italian groups leave every half hour, so good hearing of and interaction with the guide. Recommended to buy tickets in advance via their own website. Tours take about 45-50 minutes. At the end of the tour, in the old empty church hall, listen carefully to the guide, you can either leave through the nearby exit into the Sanità neighborhood, different from where you started, or wait in the church hall for the guide to show you the way back up the stairs to where you started, at the ticket office. The ticket remains valid for one year to also visit the guided tour of the Catacombe di San Gaudioso. Not well-known is that you can park your car for free during the tour at the entrance at Via Capodimonte, next to the church and ticket office. Facilities also include a small cafeteria, souvenir shop, and toilets.

Pedro de PedraPedro de Pedra

Oh, this place is mesmerizing! I fell in love with this city, there are so many interesting things both on land and at sea. And here are these incredible catacombs with these tombs of ancient Christians and all these magnificent frescoes painted on the stone walls. We are very glad that we saw this sinister but majestic creation of ancient people with our own eyes, looked at those burials in cemeteries carved in stone. The lovely girl guide (who didn't speak English very well) said that all the buried remains in the 19th century were taken out of here and buried elsewhere. This made us a little sad. This place was named in honor of St. Januarius (San Gennaro). The history of this complex of three cemeteries begins in the 3rd-4th centuries AD. It's pretty cool there, if I'm not mistaken, about 15-16 degrees Celsius. Everyone should visit this place. By the way, there is another famous catacomb nearby.

Kakha KhmelidzeKakha Khmelidze

One big BRA-VO for this tour! English guide girl made it so interesting, with no rush and enough time to enjoy the views after her stories, this was one great experience! And so fascinating that people made it all available to the world by volunteering, hats down to Sanita people! Take care of your treasure, it was an honour to walk this route! 🙏🏻 To the future visitors - do buy tickets online, because you may end up without free spots to enter. This tour is limited to a number of people, unlike Sotteranea where everyone can enter and you end up in a terrible big group... online buying process is smooth, we bought a ticket to 14.30 for Gennaro and we managed to get in to 17h tour of Gaudioso right after. A great way to compare both, and you get both entries for 11€ which is very very nice.

Marija NikolićMarija Nikolić

Catacombs of San Gennaro

Plan your stay

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The Coolest Hotels You Haven't Heard Of (Yet)

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Posts

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Ipogeo dei Cristallini

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INAF Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory

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The Hit List

Best 10 Restaurants to Visit in Naples

Best 10 Attractions to Visit in Naples