Naples celebrates as Saint Januarius’ blood liquefies on Dec 16, 2025, during the annual patronage feast commemorating the 1631 Vesuvius eruption.
Newsroom (18/12/2025 Gaudium Press )On Tuesday, December 16, the relic containing the dried blood of Saint Januarius, the patron saint of Naples, once again performed its centuries-old miracle of liquefaction, bringing relief and devotion to the faithful gathered in the city’s cathedral treasury.
According to an official statement from the Archdiocese of Naples, the phenomenon began during Holy Mass in the Royal Chapel of the Treasury of San Gennaro, celebrated on the occasion of the Feast of the Patronage of San Gennaro. At 9:13 a.m. local time, the blood was observed to be already semi-liquid. By 10:05 a.m., complete liquefaction was confirmed and solemnly announced.
The announcement was made by Monsignor Vincenzo De Gregorio, abbot of the Chapel of the Treasury of San Gennaro. Following tradition, the vial containing the relic was then carried in procession through the chapel, allowing the assembled faithful to venerate the liquefied blood.
December 16 marks the third of the three annual occasions when the miracle is expected. This date specifically commemorates the dramatic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1631, when Neapolitans invoked Saint Januarius’ intercession and, according to tradition, obtained his miraculous intervention to halt the advancing lava and spare the city from destruction.
The liquefaction typically occurs on two other fixed dates: September 19, the anniversary of the saint’s martyrdom in the early fourth century, and the Saturday preceding the first Sunday of May, recalling the translation of his remains to Naples.
For the people of Naples, the failure of the blood to liquefy — as occurred on December 16, 2020 — is often interpreted as an ill omen, prompting anxiety about impending misfortune. Yet Church authorities consistently encourage the faithful to maintain perspective.
Even when the miracle did occur on September 19, 2024, Archbishop Domenico Battaglia used the occasion to redirect attention toward deeper spiritual and social priorities. In his homily, the cardinal urged the congregation not to fixate on the physical phenomenon of the relic.
“I beg you, we should not worry about whether the blood of this relic liquefies or not,” Cardinal Battaglia declared, “but we should worry about whether the blood of the dispossessed, the marginalized, the least, the innocent runs through our streets and in our world.”
He further emphasized that the blood of Saint Januarius ultimately directs believers toward Christ: “Let us never forget that the blood of Bishop Genaro always points to the blood of Christ, both Christ’s own blood and that of the poor and the least among whom Christ lives.”
With the successful liquefaction this December, the city’s ancient devotion to its patron continues unbroken, offering both a sign of heavenly protection and a reminder — as Church leaders insist — of the enduring call to compassion and justice.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from ACI Prensa
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