The Fontanelle Cemetery
- Memento Tea
- Jan 11, 2019
- 4 min read
There is an obscure place where the souls are meeting for a funny reuniouns, talking about literature, wonderful lands, games... Everything deadly entertainment
Welcome to MT Blog: Into The Dark World.
Today, we'll visit a missed and in peaceful place, where all the soul, finally, get a little home for resting in peace.
This is the Fontanelle Cemetery, an ossuary based in Naples (Italy), from XVI century, linked to a dark chapther about the misfortunes of Neapolitan people.
Located in a tuff cave hillside the Materdei district, the ossuary is called "Fontanelle" (standpipe) due to past presence of water sources.
Before the XVI century, there was the usage to buried the deceased in the churches and, subsequentely, when older to cram then into a cave like the Fontanelle one. During the 1654, in full Great Plague -or Black Death period, due to amount (stimed to 250.000 of 400.000 inhabitants) of anonymous victims, the Fontanelle cave becomes as Cemetery.
More corpses where buried into the Fontanelle Cemetery, due of successive famines, revolts by people, and five eruptions of the Vesuvius.
In 1764, the architect Carlo Praus noted that the Fontanelle Cemetery should be destined to the Public Health Committee about the job of bury mob that get no place in the public burials of the churches. So, in 1810, Praus presents a project for the construction of cemetery into the Fontanelle necropolis. During the colera of 1837, by order of Health Council, more bodies where brought to the cemeter but, in same year, an ordinance banned the ossuary from all the confraternities of the cities around to transfer the body into the Fontanelle Cemetery.
The cemetery was abandoned till 1872. Don Gaetano Barbati, with the help of Neapolitan people, clear and put all the bones as in the way we see currently. They're get noticed as anonymous, except for two bodies: Filippo Carafa Conte di Cerreto dei Duchi di Maddaloni, who died on 17 July 1797 and of Donna Margherita Petrucci, born Azzoni, who died on 5 October 1795; both, rest in coffins protected by glass.
Now, the Fontanelle Cemetery is well known due of the ritual to adopt and take care of the skull, an abandoned soul, (called as "capuzzella" in neapolitan) in exchange for protection. Here, indeed, you will enjoy all the gifts, like a flower or a toy for kid souls, to cigarette and bus ticket or coins... A colored visions into a paceful and deep place that totally worth a visit, if you come to Naples.
Into the Fontanelle Cemetery, there is such a powerful vibe that is due also for misterious folklore legends related to some of hosted bodies. We'll tell you about the myths about the skull of Donna Concetta and the Captain's Skull.
The legend of Donna Concetta's skull
There is a nice myth around the skull of Donna Concetta, called "'a capa che suda" (the head that sweat).
The name was given due to for the curious compliance and composition of this skull it remained always glossy and polished, while the other bones were covered with dust.
The folk tradition wants to make a wish touching the skull with the hand, so if it was found then wet means that the desire will be felt, without the need to further pray her soul.
The legend of the Captain's skull
There is a dark tale, about this skull... It tells of a future husband, so jealous of his girlfriend because he adopted and take care of the Captain's skull. One day, they went to the ossuary and the man, full of pride, stuck a stick in the eye of the skull and invited the "Captain" to show up in their wedding day. The fateful day, in church, came a dirty man dressed as a carabineer who silently enjoy the ceremony, in a corner. When the new husband asked who he was, since he had not been invited, the man dressed as a carabineer opened his jacket, showing the dusty skeleton. The marriage couple died immediately because of the hard fright. Legend has it that their bodies are present at the Fontanelle Cemetery, in the first room, under the statue of Gaetano Barbati.
The wording under Captain's skull, says:
"Io voglio rimanere in questo luogo, capuzzella tra le capuzzelle.
Voglio ascoltare le storie di questi umili defunti, piangere e gioire con loro, sentirmi in compagnia.
Qua dentro la solitudine non si avverte.
Là fuori sì."
--- "I want to rest in this place, capuzzella (skull) among the capuzzelle (skulls).
I want to listen the stories of these humble dead, cry and rejoice with them, feeling myself in company.
Here, inside, solitude is not felt.
Out there, it feel."
[Fontanelle Cemetery - Photo Gallery]
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