The church of San Biagio Maggiore also known to its locals as 'Santa Patrizia' is a small former religious edifice located at the intersection of Via San Biagio dei Librai and Via San Gregorio Armeno, which was an integral part in the city center of
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. 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
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
monks fleeing due to the
Byzantine Iconoclasm
The Byzantine Iconoclasm ( gr, Εικονομαχία, Eikonomachía, lit=image struggle', 'war on icons) were two periods in the history of the Byzantine Empire when the use of religious images or icons was opposed by religious and imperial a ...
, 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 Boncompagno founded 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.
Fondazione Giambattista Vico
, history of the church.
See also
*Churches in Naples
Christianity and religion in general has always been an important part of the social and cultural life of Naples. It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Naples, and the Catholic faith is highly important to the people of Naples and there are hu ...
References
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1631
17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy
Former churches in Naples
Baroque architecture in Naples
1631 establishments in Italy
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