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Chapel of Treasure of St. Gennaro
...The magnificent Chapel of Saint Gennaro is rightly named Cappella del Tesoro (Chapel of the Treasure)... In the 1527 Naples was ravaged by the plague and the people of the city uttered the vote to erect in the Cathedral a new and more grandiose chapel in the name of his patron saint. The vote was realised in 1608. The pediment is gorgeous, there are two enormous monolithical columns of veined black marble close to a bronze gate designed by Giangiacomo Conforti... In the middle there's a two-faced bust of St. Gennaro.
On the side niches are two statues of St. Pietro and St. Paolo melted by Giuliano Finelli. We are now in the Chapel: the floor was drawn by Fanzaga, the wall are covered with several marbles, 42 columns of broccatello, seven altars, nineteen niches with bronzy statues...
Behind the high altar there are two separated archs fornices in which are preserved the bones of the head of Saint Gennaro and two cruets of glass containing his blood. A silver gilt bust contains the bones of the head, modelled on errand of Charles II of Anjou in the 1306 and put on a silver pedestal of 1609... In the 1667 Charles Il, King of Spain and Naples,
ordered the realization of two silver doors.
There are four keys to have access to reliques, two keys are preserved in the Deputation and two are preserved by the Archbishop.
Giuliano Vannelli realized the balustrade of the presbytery in 1618, on a project of Francesco Grimaldi. The frontal of the altars, dating from the XIX century, are silver covered and were offered from king Francesco II to carry out to a vote of his father.
The high altar is in porphyry, with gilded copper muldings and silver friezes; was designed by Francesco Solimena. The altar frontal (paliotto), modelled by Domenico Marinello, represents the tranfer of St. Gennaro body's from Montevergine to Naples occurred the 13rd january 1497 [was realised by the Archbishop Alessandro Carafa]. On the horns of the altar there are
two silver angels ...On the six altars there are many paintings of Domenichino, except the one present in the left chapel, which is by the Spagnoletto. The decoration of the dome's corbel and the four vaults were performed by Domenichino; he also began to paint the dome, but afterwards the dome was entrusted to Lanfranco who painted the marvellous Glory of the blessed, on the top of blessed people there is God. There are also three silver lamps, a gift of pope Paolo IV.
It's important to evidence in the Chapel the 51 statues in bronze or silver depicting the saints Patrons of the city of Naples, of which 24 are works dating from the seventeenth century. The oldest one is that of St. Tommaso d'Aquino, declared patron in 1605, the most recent is that of Santa Rita, of 1928. Linked to the Chapel is the Museo del Tesoro di S. Gennaro, in which are contained many valuable items donated to Patron of the city (their value exceeds even that of the crown jewels of England), including the famous Mitra, silver gilt decorated with 3694 rubies, emeralds and diamonds and the Necklace, with thirteen large solid gold links which are hung crosses studded with precious stones.
