Naples, head of an 18th-century statue from the church of San Giorgio dei Genovesi disappears

Gone is the head of one of the two 18th-century statues decorating the facade of the church of San Giorgio dei Genovesi in Naples. Breaking the news, amid general disinterest, is only the Neapolitan edition of La Repubblica, which published a photo of the right-hand statue, the one of St. Paul (the other depicts St. Peter), missing its head. The hypothesis is that the disappearance is due to a theft, and that the thieves, who evidently acted at the end of April (in April’s Google Street View photos, in fact, the statue is still intact, except for the hands, which have been missing for some time, and in a photo posted instead on Facebook on April 30, the headless statue can already be seen), tried to steal the entire statue, made of stucco, and failing in their intent were content to take away only the head.

This is not the first time that the artistic heritage of churches in Naples has been plundered. Usually, however, the thefts involve churches that are in more secluded locations, and usually take place inside. This time the object of the raid was a church in a very central location (the church is in fact located on Via Medina, one of the busiest and most frequented streets in the center), and what is more, positioned next to the Naples police headquarters. It is still not known how it was possible for the thieves to have acted undisturbed.

The church of San Giorgio dei Genovesi, built in the 17th century, was formerly the church of the Genovese community living in Naples. About ten years ago it was entrusted by the Curia to the University of Naples Parthenope, and for some time it was used as a conference hall and classroom for graduation sessions, but after the University left management the church is in a state of neglect and decay. The building is currently closed, and its holdings have been transferred elsewhere: the most important work that was once located here, Domenico Fiasella ’s altarpiece depicting the Madonna Queen of Genoa, an iconographic motif that became popular from the 1730s and was particularly dear to the Genoese, is located in the overlooking church of the Pietà dei Turchini. Repubblica, however, reports that it has no information on the whereabouts of Andrea da Salerno’s Saint George Slaying the Dragon, another important painting that was in the church.

The news of the theft of the Saint Paul’s head passed quietly but sparked outrage among some Neapolitan social users. All this while the city celebrates Napoli’s victory in the soccer championship: the hope is that this renewed awareness will lead to greater attention to the city’s heritage.

Pictured (by Repubblica) is the headless statue of St. Paul

Naples, head of an 18th-century statue from the church of San Giorgio dei Genovesi disappears

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