Religion
editNaples has a relationship with the Catholic Church going back almost two thousand years. Evidence of the Catholic Church in Naples, dating all the way back to the second century, was found by archaeologists in The Catacombs of San Gennaro.[1][2] The Church of Naples is the seat of the Archdiocese of Naples, with the current archdiocese being Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe.[3] While freedom of religion in Italy is guaranteed by the Italian Constitution, more than 83% of the population align with a Christian faith.[4][5] Naples is just shy of 50 square miles, but it boasts almost 500 churches, hundreds of edicole sacre, and more than 2,000 outdoor prayer shrines called votive aediculae. [6][7] The Neapolitan people place a high cultural significance on allocating space to worship, so much so that a request was granted to allocate $3.1 million (2.6 million euros) to build a mosque in Naples even though the Muslim portion of the population is less than 4%.[5][8]
The inclusive attitude towards religion has fostered some unique religious beliefs, superstitions, rituals, and festivals.[9][10] Miracles, talismans, and hand gestures used to ward off evil spirits are common in Naples.[11][12][13][14][15] Most festivals are religious in nature, with the biggest festival of the year focusing on the re-liquefying of the blood of St. Januarius.[16]
- ^ "Catacombs of Naples and Rione Sanità". Retrieved 2018-03-03.
- ^ "http://www.chiesadinapoli.it/pls/napoli/v3_s2ew_consultazione.mostra_pagina?id_pagina=47336". www.chiesadinapoli.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2018-03-03.
{{cite web}}: External link in|title= - ^ Cheney, David M. "Crescenzio Cardinal Sepe [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
- ^ "Constitution of Italy, Article 19: Freedom of Religion". berkleycenter.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
- ^ a b "Religions in Italy | PEW-GRF". www.globalreligiousfutures.org. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
- ^ "Urban Europe — statistics on cities, towns and suburbs — life in cities - Statistics Explained". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
- ^ "Basilica of San Gennaro - Events and Art". Retrieved 2018-03-03.
- ^ "Italy". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
- ^ Conelli, M. A. (1992). The gesu nuovo in naples: Politics, property and religion (Order No. 9231987). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (303972823). Retrieved from http://stats.lib.pdx.edu/proxy.php?url=http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.pdx.edu/docview/303972823?accountid=13265
- ^ Norme Pastorali su alcuni aspetti della celebrazione dei Sacramenti. Naples: Arcivescovo Metropolita di Napoli.
- ^ "Naples". Reuters. Mon Dec 03 01:41:18 UTC 2007. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Evil eye". ipfs.io. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
- ^ "Rites, magic and mysteries of Naples: the miracle of its millennial charm". 2017-05-18. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
- ^ "Mano Cornuto (Horned Hand)". symboldictionary.net. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
- ^ "Perché si crede che il corno porti fortuna?". Focus.it. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
- ^ NETWORK), Abigail James (CALIFORNIA. "MIRACLE: St. Januarius' blood liquefies in Naples - recreating blood miracle - Living Faith - Home & Family - News - Catholic Online". Catholic Online. Retrieved 2018-03-03.