Blood of Naples saint fails to liquefy in what some see as bad omen

Wednesday was not a good day for superstitious Neapolitans.

The blood of San Gennaro, the patron of Naples, failed to liquefy despite two rounds of praying by the faithful, which some in the southern Italian city see as an omen of bad things to come.

A vial containing the dried blood of the fourth-century martyr is put on public display three times a year in the city’s cathedral and the faithful pray for its liquefaction, known as the “Miracle of San Gennaro”.

It did not happen on Wednesday despite hours of praying in the morning and a special Mass in the afternoon. Fewer people than normal were allowed into the cathedral because of coronavirus restrictions.

Scientists say the substance inside the sealed vial appears to be dried blood but cannot explain why it sometimes turns into liquid and sometimes does not.

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The blood of San Gennaro, the patron of Naples, failed to liquefy despite two rounds of praying by the faithful, which some in the southern Italian city see as an omen of bad things to come.

Little is known of the life of Januarius, and what follows is mostly derived from later Christian sources, such as the Acta Bononensia (BHL 4132, not earlier than 6th century) and the Acta Vaticana (BHL 4115, 9th century), and from later-developing folk tradition.

Saint Januarius is famous for the miracle of the annual liquefaction of his blood, which, according to legend, was saved by a woman called Eusebia just after the saint's death.

The first certain date is 1389, when it was found to have melted. Then, over the following two and a half centuries official reports began to appear declaring that the blood spontaneously melted, at first once a year, then twice, and finally three times a year.

The blood is stored in two hermetically sealed small ampoules, held since the 17th century in a silver reliquary between two round glass plates about 12 cm wide.

The smaller ampoule (of cylindrical shape) contains only a few reddish spots on its walls, the bulk having allegedly been removed and taken to Spain by Charles III.

The larger ampoule, with capacity of about 60 ml and almond-shaped, is about 60% filled with a dark reddish substance

While clotted blood can be liquefied by mechanical stirring, the resulting suspension cannot solidify again.

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Drawing of the reliquary containing the two ampoules said to hold Januarius' blood

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