- The "golgotha" of the nave of the priests
recent history
The cult of adoption degenerated into fetishism, and it was this that caused Cardinal Ursi to order the closure of the ossuaryin 1969.
In the 80's there was a half-hearted attempt to reopen the cemetery, but the instability of the cave was obvious and so it was closed again.
In 2002, on the initiative of the Special Commissary for the Government of the subsoil, Rosa Iervolino Russo and the Town Councillor for the Civil Protection and Defence of the Soil Ferdinando Di Mezza set up a detailed project to ensure the security of the cave and for the reclamation of the ancient cemetery in order to return it to the city and guarantee its conservation and its structure. The work was completed and the cemetery was reopened to the public in May 2006.