Church of Santa Luciella and the Skull with Ears

Naples, a city that oscillates between the sacred and the profane, is full of stories and legends that have always borne witness to this. Among them is one in particular that revolves around the Church of Santa Luciella ai librai. This small sacred place in the historic center- which is just a stone’s throw from Naples Underground – is remembered for its ancient worship of Santa Lucia, the patron saint of the eyes. And here is the reason why. It is said that the Corporation of Pipernieri (those who worked piperno, a very hard rock) relied on the saint for the protection of their eyesight, which was endangered by piperno splinters.

The Legend of the Skull with Ears

The Church of St. Luciella, is also known for another famous legend. But, to understand it better, we need to step into the past, that is, when there were no cemeteries in the city – and because of that – only the bodies of wealthy people – or those of the clergy – were buried in churches (in a special chapel). The rest of the population, on the other hand – that is, those who were not wealthy – were thrown into mass graves.  Hence the traditional Neapolitan cult of the Anime Pezzentelle was born. And here’s the thing, in the ancient hypogeum of the Church of St. Luciella, a very striking skull is kept, which has become famous for its ears, and therefore referred to as the skull with ears. Legend has it that people went here to care for the skull and to pray for its soul to reach Heaven. Very frequently he was also entrusted with special hopes or graces. Why? It was believed that the skull, having precisely very large ears, would be able to better hear the requests of devotees.