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| San Gaudioso, ora pro nobis |
In 439 AD, the Vandal King Genseric exiled Septimius Celius Gaudiosus, Bishop of Abitinia (a town in the Roman Province of Africa), and a handful of followers for refusing to convert to Arianism. Cast out to sea in a rickety boat with no oars or sail, the vessel and its passengers miraculously landed safely across the Mediterranean at Naples.
Settling on the Capodimonte hill, San Gaudioso is credited with building a monastery, introducing the Rule of St. Augustine, and the translation of several relics, including that of Santa Restituta.
When he died (c.452 AD), the holy man was interred in a necropolis outside the city walls. Quickly becoming a place of devotion and veneration by locals, the catacombs were named in his honor. Abandoned in the Late Middle Ages due to mudslides (known as the Lave dei Virgini) and the removal of the saint’s relics to a safer location, the catacombs eventually opened again in the 16th century with the discovery of a 5th or 6th century Byzantine icon of the Madonna della Sanità, the oldest depiction of the Virgin Mary in Naples.
In addition to the icon and the tomb of San Gaudioso, the catacombs preserve several frescoes and mosaics dating from the 17th century all the way back to the Paleochristian era, including a painting of St. Peter introducing the deceased Pascentius to a third figure believed to be either St. Paul or Jesus Christ.
More recently, the renowned Neapolitan poet Totò (Antonio De Curtis, 1898-1967) composed the poem 'A Livella, which was inspired by a painting of Memento Mori (the Triumph of Death) in the catacombs.
In celebration, I’m posting a Prayer to San Gaudioso di Napoli. Evviva San Gaudioso!
Prayer to San Gaudioso di Napoli
Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that the examples of San Gaudioso di Napoli may effectually move us to reform our lives; that while we celebrate his feast, we may also imitate his actions. Look upon our weakness, almighty God, and since the burden of our own deeds weighs heavily upon us, may the glorious intercession of San Gaudioso protect us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
