Cimitile (Campania): what to see


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What to see in the paleochristian basicale complex of Cimitile, made up of various buildings of worship, dedicated to Saints Felice, Stefano, Tommaso, Calionio, Giovanni, the Martyrs and the Madonna of the Angels.


Tourist information

Located in the hinterland north-east of Naples, from which it is less than thirty kilometers away, Cimitile is located near Nola.

The name Cimitile, originates from "coemeterium", which means cemetery, from the second century AD. onwards the area was chosen as the place for the burial of the dead.


The main monuments include the basilica built on the site of the tomb of San Felice, dating back to the fourth century AD.

The Basilica of San Felice includes two opposing apses and a newsstand, where the tomb of S. Felice is located.

The original square basilica was replaced by a large hall with apse to the north and south entrance, with the subsequent addition, in the second half of the fourth century, to a building with apses and an interior with three naves, called the eastern basilica.


In the period between 484 and 523, a shrine decorated with mosaics was built around the tomb of Saints Felice and Paolino.

The bell tower, located between the western apse and the entrance to the basilica, is square in plan and dates back to the twelfth century.

The Basilica nova, built by San Paolino between 401 and 403 on the north side of the existing one, to which it was connected by an atrium and three doors, was developed on three naves, separated by eleven columns, with four side chapels and a apse with the basin decorated with a mosaic, later lost but described in the letter 32 written by Paolino to Sulpicio Severo.


Severely damaged by the flood of the sixth century, it was initially used as a funeral, then the church of San Giovanni was built on its remains.

What see

The Basilica of Santo Stefano, with a single nave with an apse, is preceded by an atrium, with a triumphal arch supported by two fluted columns with Corinthian capitals, two arches in the side walls and masonry structures placed in the center of the nave.

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The Basilica of San Tommaso, with a single apsed nave interior where there are eighty-four tombs, contains, on the southern wall, some faces of saints of the fourteenth century.

The bell tower placed next to it, with a square plan with a bulbous roof, dates back to the late 1800s.

The Chapel of the Most Holy Martyrs, which is the result of the transformation of a third century funerary mausoleum, was transformed by Bishop Leo III into an oratory with an apse, containing two block altars including niches.

The Chapel of San Calionio, a small building with an apse located along the right wall of the basilica of San Felice, was built before the fifth century and renovated by Bishop Leone III with the addition of an altar in the center and two side niches, showing the figures of Saints Felice and Paolino.

The Chapel of Santa Maria degli Angeli, erected on the north side of the western apse of San Felice, is a square-plan building with a cross vault, dating back to the late Middle Ages.

The complex is also enriched with archaeological remains visible in the museum.

CIMITILE - LOOKING UP - CAMPANIA ITALY - ARVIDEOPRODUCTIONS (February 2024)


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