The birth of the Illustrious Royal Order of Saint Januarius
The Chivalric Order dedicated to 'il Santo' that every new Sovereign of Naples immediately paid respect, before talking to anyone else. That went for the Napoleon family, as well. No exception.
According to historical sources, Januarius was born in 275 in Benevento, the city of which he later became bishop. Contemporary research into historical sources mentions his trip to Misenum to save Christians condemned to death by Emperor Diocletian.
Bishop Januarius was arrested and sentenced to death because he refused to deny the Christian faith.
Soon, on September 19, 305, Januarius was beheaded in the volcanic area of Solfatara near the town of Pozzuoli, near Naples. Tradition says that a certain woman Eusebia collected the martyr's blood in ampoules where it remained intact to this day.
The bones and relic of the saint's blood were kept for centuries in various catacombs and abbeys, until in 1527 the construction of today's monumental chapel and crypt of Saint Januarius began.
The Neapolitan Covenant
Namely, during the year 1526, Naples was torn apart by tragedies one after another, from the war between the Angevins and the Aragonese to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius to the plague epidemic that claimed thousands of lives at an exceptional rate. The citizens of Naples were running out of strength.
After influencing other patron saints of the city, on January 13, 1527, the citizens of Naples decided to "officially" request the protection of San Gennaro.