THE HISTORIC PROCESSION OF ‘O MUNACONE
in honor of Saint Vincent Ferrer
co-patron of Naples
Tuesday, July 1, 2025 – 6:15 PM
by Luciano Troiano
Saint Vincent Ferrer is one of the 51 co-patrons of the city of Naples, patron of the Rione Sanità district, known by the nickname “‘O Munacone”. His statue is kept in the Basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità (better known, in fact, as the Church of San Vincenzo alla Sanità), located in the heart of the neighborhood.
Saint Vincent Ferrer, called “‘O Munacone”, was born in Valencia on January 23, 1350 to a noble family close to the royal house of Barcelona, and at a very young age joined the Dominican Order. He worked especially hard to resolve the Western Schism. During the siege of Avignon, the friar became gravely ill and, according to legend, was healed by Jesus and Saint Dominic, who ordered him to preach and convert the crowds in anticipation of the imminent final judgment.
From that moment on, he began a long pilgrimage dedicated to itinerant preaching throughout Western Europe and the Iberian Peninsula, during which he converted many sinners and performed hundreds of resurrections: over eighty miracles were officially recognized during the canonization process, a record in the history of the Church. Gifted with great oratory skills and devoted to penance, he called himself “the angel of the Apocalypse.”
Died in Brittany in 1419 during one of his many journeys, he was proclaimed a saint by Pope Callixtus III in 1455.
According to tradition, in 1836 during a cholera epidemic in Naples, the statue of Saint Vincent Ferrer was carried in procession to seek his intercession to stop the contagion. It is said that after the procession, the epidemic ceased, leading Neapolitans to attribute this famous miracle to Saint Vincent.
Since that miraculous event, the procession has taken place every first Tuesday of July, commemorating the time when the miracle is believed to have happened: boys dressed as little Dominican friars and girls as peasant girls accompany the procession, followed by fireworks celebrations.
The Basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità is closely linked to the cult of Saint Vincent, and the painted wooden statue is kept in a case inside the church.
Today, the Rione Sanità carries Saint Vincent ‘o Munacone in procession, and the celebration is an unmissable event!
The event is organized by the San Gennaro Community Foundation, Catacombs of Naples, the Merchants’ Network, and Catholic organizations. The event will begin on Tuesday, July 1st at 4:00 PM with the opening of the Basilica for public veneration of the image of Saint Vincent Ferrer, followed by the Eucharistic Celebration at 5:30 PM and the procession at 6:15 PM, which will pass through the following streets: Piazza Sanità, Via San Severo a Capodimonte, Piazza San Severo, Via Santa Maria Antesaecula, Via Arena Sanità, Via Sanità, Via San Vincenzo, Via San Gennaro dei Poveri, Via Vita, Via Fontanelle, Piazza Sanità.
Sources:
History of Naples
The churches of Naples Vincenzo Regina
Underground Naples by Giovanni Liccardo
Veiled and hidden Naples by Maurizio Ponticello
Popular devotion in Naples by Giulio Mendozza
Hidden Naples by Fiorenzo Foglia and Luca Montemagno
Parthenopean Mysteries by Sigfrido H. Hoebel
Photo Credits:
Rione Sanità
Vesuvio Live
Latitudinex
Cose di Napoli
Archivio Troiano