In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The blood of San Gennaro, the patron saint of Naples, is shown three times a year: Wednesday 16 December 2026, Saturday 1 May 2027 and Sunday 19 September 2027. The next after those is Thursday 16 December 2027. The cathedral is free. The three rites are in different places: the Treasury Chapel on 16 December, a procession to Santa Chiara in May and the cathedral’s high altar on 19 September. Metro Line 1 stops at Duomo. Or book a guide: the Old Town and Veiled Christ tourad takes in the cathedral and is from €47.85.
The next three dates
The rule is the Saturday before the first Sunday of May, 19 September and 16 December. The dates below follow it.
| Date | What it marks | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 16 December 2026 | The patronage of San Gennaro, tied to the 1631 eruption of Vesuvius | The Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro |
| Saturday 1 May 2027 | The move of the relics, with a procession | The cathedral and the basilica of Santa Chiara |
| Sunday 19 September 2027 | The saint’s feast day | The cathedral |
| Thursday 16 December 2027 | The patronage | The Chapel of the Treasure |
The places are those of the latest rites: 16 December 2025, 2 May 2026 and 19 September 2026.
16 December
The Curia of Naples calls 16 December the festa del patrocinio, the feast of the saint’s patronage, and the third of the year’s three celebrations. The date recalls the eruption of Vesuvius in 1631, when the people of Naples asked for the saint’s help to stop the lava reaching the city. On 16 December 2025 the Mass was said in the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro, at Via Duomo 149, with the members of the Deputazione present, and the announcement that the blood had liquefied was made at the end of the Mass (Chiesa di Napoli).
The May procession
On the Saturday before the first Sunday of May the relics are moved to Santa Chiara. In 2026, on Saturday 2 May, the archbishop entered the Treasury Chapel at 17:00 and the safe was opened with the mayor, who chairs the Deputazione, present. The bust of the saint was carried from the cathedral to the basilica of Santa Chiara along Via Duomo, Via San Biagio dei Librai, Piazza San Domenico Maggiore and Via Benedetto Croce, led by the band of the Carabinieri. Mass in Santa Chiara was at 18:00, and the prayer was for the liquefaction. The city banned vehicles on the route from 16:00 and stopped parking on Via Duomo from 13:00 (Grande Napoli). The route runs along the Spaccanapoli walk.
The bell tower and façade of the basilica of Santa Chiara at dusk. Photo: Marco Ober, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
19 September
The feast day has the longest programme. This is the Curia’s 2026 pattern (Chiesa di Napoli):
The nave of Naples cathedral, looking towards the high altar. Photo: Marco Ober, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 10 to 17 September, 18:00 | The novena: the Rosary at 18:00 and Mass at 18:30 in the cathedral crypt |
| 18 September, 17:30 | Pilgrims and mayors gather at San Giorgio Maggiore in Forcella, and a procession goes to the cathedral |
| 18 September, 18:00 | First Vespers in the cathedral, and the votive lamp is lit |
| 19 September, 07:30 to 21:00 | The cathedral is open |
| 19 September, 08:00 and 08:45 | Mass, then the reading of the Passion |
| 19 September, 10:00 | The archbishop goes to the Treasury Chapel, where the safe is opened in the presence of the mayor and the president of the Region, and the relics are carried to the high altar for the solemn Mass |
| 19 September, 12:30 | Mass |
| 19 September, 16:00 to 18:30 | The blood is offered for veneration |
| 19 September, 18:30 | Mass |
| 20 to 26 September | The octave: the relics are shown in the cathedral from 09:30 to 12:30 and 16:30 to 18:30 |
During the solemn Mass the liquefaction is announced to those present if it happens, and at the end the archbishop walks down the nave and shows the ampoules to the city from outside. The Curia’s page for 2026 says the miracle was repeated.
Getting there
The cathedral is on Via Duomo, and Metro Line 1 stops at Duomo. The Duomo and the Treasury are described in the Duomo and the Treasury of San Gennaro: the cathedral is free, the Treasury museum costs €15 with an audio guide, and the Chapel is free but closes in the middle of the day. The saint’s remains lay in the Catacombs of San Gennaro before they were moved into the city.
Plan the visit
The Christmas fair on San Gregorio Armeno is open on the way to 16 December: see Christmas in Naples 2026 and San Gregorio Armeno. The hotels near the cathedral, in the Centro Storico, are in where to stay in Naples. For the weather and the other dates, see the best time to visit Naples, and for the days themselves, 3 days in Naples. What to book in Naples lists the closed days.
Common questions
When is the miracle of San Gennaro in 2026 and 2027?
Wednesday 16 December 2026, Saturday 1 May 2027 and Sunday 19 September 2027. The blood is shown three times a year: on the Saturday before the first Sunday of May, on 19 September and on 16 December. The next after those is Thursday 16 December 2027.
Is it free to attend the San Gennaro miracle?
The cathedral is free. On 16 December the Mass is said in the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro, with the members of the Deputazione, the lay body that keeps the relics, present. On 19 September the relics are carried to the high altar of the cathedral for the solemn Mass, and the ampoules are shown to the city from outside at the end.
What happens on 19 September?
In 2026 the cathedral was open from 07:30 to 21:00. Mass was at 08:00 and the Passion was read at 08:45. At 10:00 the archbishop went to the Treasury Chapel, the safe with the ampoules was opened and the relics were carried to the high altar for the solemn Mass, during which the liquefaction is announced if it happens. The blood was offered for veneration from 16:00 to 18:30.
Why is the miracle held on 16 December?
The Curia says the date recalls the eruption of Vesuvius in 1631, when the people of Naples asked San Gennaro to stop the lava reaching the city. It is the third of the three yearly celebrations, and the Curia calls it the secular miracle.
What is the May procession?
On the Saturday before the first Sunday of May the relics are moved. In 2026 the archbishop opened the safe in the Treasury Chapel at 17:00, the bust of the saint was carried from the cathedral to the basilica of Santa Chiara along Via Duomo, Via San Biagio dei Librai, Piazza San Domenico Maggiore and Via Benedetto Croce, and Mass was held in Santa Chiara at 18:00.
Can I see the blood outside the three dates?
On 19 September the relics are also offered for veneration, and from 20 to 26 September, in the octave, they are shown in the cathedral from 09:30 to 12:30 and 16:30 to 18:30. The Treasury of San Gennaro museum is open daily.
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