Obelisk of San Gennaro in Piazza Riario Sforza
The Spire of San Gennaro: The Stone Sentinel Watching Over the Cathedral
Right next to the Cathedral, in the open space of Piazza Riario Sforza, rises a monument that is both a greeting and a promise. It is the Spire of San Gennaro, the oldest in Naples, a work that celebrates not a king, but an eternal pact between the city and its Patron Saint.
Its history is a tale of terror and faith. The year was 1631, and Vesuvius had awakened. The eruption was devastating, and lava threatened to engulf the city. Gripped by desperation, the Neapolitan people made an ex-voto: a solemn promise to San Gennaro imploring his protection. The Saint's statue and relics were carried in procession to meet the river of fire and, according to tradition, the miracle occurred: the lava stopped.
This spire is Naples' "thank you."
To create it, the greatest architect of the Neapolitan Baroque, Cosimo Fanzago, was commissioned. He conceived a powerful and refined work. It is not an obelisk, but a column-obelisk resting on a lavish base, where the siren Partenope—the city’s symbol—pays homage to the Saint in a triumph of Baroque volutes.
At the summit of the column, the bronze statue of San Gennaro does not look to the sky: he watches his city and the volcano, his hand outstretched in a perennial gesture of protection.
More than a work of art, the Spire of San Gennaro is a sentinel. It is the materialization of a visceral bond, a reminder to all who pass by that, even in the darkest of times, Naples is never alone.
INFO
ADDRESS: Piazza Cardinale Sisto Riario Sforza, 80139 Napoli NA
