San Biagio Maggiore

The church of San Biagio Maggiore is a small former religious edifice located in the city center of Naples, Italy, at the intersection of Via San Biagio dei Librai and Via San Gregorio Armeno. It is adjacent and for many years integral to the church of San Gennaro all’Olmo.

History

The church was founded in the 8th century, when Armenian monks fleeing due to the Byzantine Iconoclasm, came to Naples. They brought with them relics of Saints Gregory and Biagio. They initially built a chapel to shelter the skull of San Biagio next to the church of San Gennaro. In 1543, custody of the chapel was granted to the Congregation of the Booksellers (Librai), who clustered in this zone of the city. The latter constructed a chapel for the relic at this location. By 1628, veneration had increased, and San Biagio was declared a protector of the Neapolitan realm. The Saint and the chapel were also involved in the intercession of poor women wishing to marry and those afflicted with throat maladies. In 1631, Cardinal Francesco Buoncompagno erected the new small church we see now. The statue of the saint has been moved to the church of Santi Filippo e Giacomo. For years, the church fell into decay, and now the deconsecrated building is in the custody of the cultural organization: Fondazione Giambattista Vico.^[1]

See also

• Churches in Naples

References