Santa Luciella ai Librai

Naples · Italy · Church

The skull down in the crypt has ears. That is why Neapolitans whisper their prayers here — it hears, and passes them on.

This small church in an alley behind Via San Biagio dei Librai was founded in the 1300s, stood shut and crumbling for decades, and was reopened by a group of young Neapolitans. Beneath the floor lies the hypogeum, and with it the most talked-about skull in the city: 'a capa 'e morte cu 'e recchie, the skull with ears. What look like ears are two flanges of bone at the temples, but popular belief drew a different conclusion. A skull that can hear makes a better messenger than the others, so this one was given the prayers, the wishes and the desperate requests to pass on to the right authority on the far side. The words were whispered down at it, never called out, and the notes were laid alongside.

FAQ

Where is Santa Luciella ai Librai located?

Santa Luciella ai Librai is in Neapel, Italy.

More haunted places in Neapel

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.