A place suspended between care and devotion

You are in the realm of the souls in purgatory, where silence surrounds memory and hope lives on, whispered in prayer and entrusted to the afterlife.

The history

The history of the ossuary

16th century

The site was originally a tuff quarry; tuff is a durable, easily workable volcanic rock that is a characteristic feature of buildings in Naples and its province. When space began to run out in churches, numerous disused quarries were converted into burial sites.

17th century

The ossuary played a vital role during the plague epidemic of 1656, as it housed a large part of the estimated 250,000 victims.

19th century

Another significant moment in the site’s history was the Edict of Saint-Cloud, issued by Napoleon in 1804, which ordered that cemeteries be located outside the city walls and established that all graves should be identical.

Following the cholera epidemic of 1836–1837, further bodies were brought to the Fontanelle Cemetery. Among these, perhaps, were those of the poet Giacomo Leopardi.

In 1872, after years of neglect, canon don Gaetano Barbati rearranged the bones, aided by a group of devout women from the neighbourhood. The bones were placed in three symbolic aisles: the Aisle of the Priests, the Aisle of the Plague Victims, and the Pezzentelli.

From this spirit of compassion arose the worship of the anime pezzentelle, whose name derives from the Latin petere, meaning to ask in order to receive. It is precisely this reciprocity that lies at the heart of the Neapolitans’ devotion to these anonymous remains.

20th century

In 1969, a decree issued by the Ecclesiastical Court closed the ossuary and banned the worship of the anime pezzentelle, as it was deemed a form of fetishism and superstition that was not in line with the teachings of the Vatican Council II.

Today

In 2020, the site closed for structural and maintenance work. In 2023, La Paranza Cooperative won the call for tenders to manage the site, continuing the work of social regeneration and cultural enhancement in the Rione Sanità district.

From 2026, the Fontanelle Cemetery is open to the public!

Support the Fontanelle Cemetery

With your donation, you can support the restoration and preservation of a landmark in the Rione Sanità district and in Naples.

<em>Support</em> the Fontanelle Cemetery

The meaning for the city

In Naples, the connection with the afterlife and the supernatural is ‘present’ and tangible.
It is not merely a matter of religious devotion, but a central element of the cultural identity of the city.

A concrete example of this relationship is the cult of the souls in purgatory, which is still alive in the city’s memory and spirit. The faithful pray to ease the suffering of the souls in purgatory and help them reach Heaven. In return, they hope to receive protection, guidance, and graces from these souls.

The significance of the Fontanelle Cemetery for Naples

Explore the areas of the Cemetery

The cemetery covers an area of around 4,000 square metres and is divided into three main sections, each of them hiding fascinating stories and legends.

Golgotha

The central area, named for its resemblance to Calvary. The name derives from the Aramaic word for ‘skull’.

The Captain

The skull ‘with the black eye’. It is regarded as the protector of women seeking a husband and a ‘righteous’ leader of the people.

The Tribunal

Named after the arrangement of the skulls, which resemble a jury. It is said that the neighbourhood’s “guappi” (local gangsters) used to gather here to take oaths and make blood pacts.

Concetta

She is also known as ‘'a capa che suda’ (the sweating head), because her skull is always shiny and clean, unlike the others, whose heads are covered in dust. Women who wish to have a child turn to her for help.

Don Gaetano Barbati

The statue dedicated to the parish priest who, in 1872, organised the rearrangement of the bones, thereby restoring dignity to the remains of the deceased.

Fresco with Cross

A cave carved out of tuff contains a fresco depicting a cross, along with several symbols relating to the Passion of Jesus.

Ossuary

Here are collected the largest bones, arranged around the statue of Jesus by the women who helped don Gaetano Barbati to organise the ossuary.

The Spouses

The only remains placed in coffins are those of Filippo Carafa and Margherita Petrucci, which were probably transferred here from the crypt of a church in Naples.

Draining Seats

It is not clear whether this is the place where bodies were left to drain before burial, or whether these are the remains of excavations for the extraction of tuff.

Entrance

The main entrance to the cemetery from Via Fontanelle.

Nave of the Priests Nave of the Plague Victims Nave of the Pezzentelli Via Fontanelle

Now open

From Mondays to Sundays 10 am — 6 pm

Last admission at 5:15 pm

Closed on Wednesdays and Christmas Day

On Mondays and Fridays, the Cemetery is open for worship and accessible for prayer in the dedicated area from 9:00 am to 10:00 am.

Visit the Fontanelle Cemetery

Admission with audio guide

We will accompany you, step by step, letting the voices of the local community reveal the history of the site through the audio guide app. It will not be a guided tour, but an immersive experience, capable of making you feel part of the story that this neighbourhood has preserved for centuries.

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Guided Tours (Italian only)

We will guide you through the site with a visit rich in atmosphere, telling you about the cult of the anime pezzentelle and the legendary figures that inhabit the cemetery and have become part of the city’s collective imagination.

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For Residents

If you are a resident of Naples’ 2nd or 3rd Municipality, you can access the site free of charge by booking the accompanied tour on our website.

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School visits

Booking is mandatory in order to guarantee the presence of museum educators. For safety reasons, groups of between 25 and 50 participants will be divided into two subgroups. One teacher is admitted free of charge for every 15 pupils.

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Group Tours

If you are a group of 20 participants or more, book the experience you prefer.

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Download the App
for admission
with audio guide

Enjoy the audio-guided tour and discover Fontanelle through the voices of the people who live there. Please download it before entrance: the site has poor signal coverage.