WOMEN OF NAPLES
Janara
In the beating heart of ancient Naples, in that area of the Decumani where the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore alla Pietrasanta stands imposingly, a fascinating and complex history is intertwined: that of Janara. The word "janara" itself is a dialect transliteration of the Latin term "dianara", which meant "follower of Diana". This etymology is fundamental to understanding the link with the pagan world and, consequently, with magic understood in a primitive sense. In fact, in the place where the Basilica stands today, there stood an ancient Temple of Diana, the Roman goddess of hunting and the Moon, but also protector of women, wild animals and guardian of virginity. Remains of this temple are still incorporated and visible today in the Romanesque Bell Tower in front of the Complex, tangible evidence of a thousand-year-old cult. The cult of Diana was reserved exclusively for women, who invoked the goddess to obtain painless births and protection. Men, however, did not tolerate this female devotion, especially because many women, in order to avoid unhappy marriages, preferred to devote themselves to the Goddess and offer her their chastity. The girls who became priestesses of Diana were later derogatorily called Dianare or Janare, a name that marked their marginalization. With the advent and spread of Christianity, the figure of the Janara underwent a radical transformation: respected priestesses became, according to popular tradition, beautiful but dangerous women, associated with the devil and supernatural events. They were said to have the power to predict the future, cast spells and seduce men with their charm, and some legends portray them as vengeful creatures, ready to punish those who offended them. The strength of Diana's cult was such that in 553 AD Bishop Pomponio, to counter it and eradicate pagan beliefs, had a church dedicated to the Madonna built: Santa Maria Maggiore. Legend has it that the Virgin Mary appeared to him in a dream, asking him to build the church only after finding a marble "Holy Stone", hidden under the ground and wrapped in a light blue cloth. The Madonna explained to Pomponio that the Basilica would counteract the presence of the devil who, in the form of an enormous pig, appeared every night in the area between Piazza Miraglia and the ancient centre, scaring the residents with his infernal grunt. According to the inhabitants, it was a Janara who sent the horrible pig to the city in revenge. Even today, according to popular tradition, the Janara wanders around Naples braiding horses and, when she enters the homes of poor unfortunates, she attacks especially the little ones, out of pure envy or a desire for motherhood. To make her go away when you meet her you have to grab her tightly by the hair and say: “Janara janara ca ‘and at night she takes me, I take you more and pull you ‘and capille”. There is also a way to avoid running into this witch: it is said, in fact, that in order not to let her into the house, it is enough to place coarse salt on the windowsill. Or again, just place a sorghum broom outside the door so that it can count the threads that compose it all night. The Janara della Pietrasanta, therefore, is not only a legendary figure, but a powerful symbol of the complex cultural and religious transition of Naples, a bridge between ancient female cults and the subsequent demonization that shaped her image in the collective memory.
Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore alla Pietrasanta
Along the ancient major hinge, overlooking Via dei Tribunali, is the complex of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore alla Pietrasanta. The Basilica was founded at the behest of Bishop Pomponio in the 6th century on a structure from the Roman era (traces of mosaics and the ancient floor are still present) and consisted of three naves, the main one of which was supported by eighteen columns, all different from each other and surmounted by as many capitals, probably, from the Greek era that belonged to various temples in the city. According to a legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to Bishop Pomponius in a dream, asking him to build a church in her honor after finding a marble stone hidden under the ground and wrapped in a light blue cloth. This "Holy Stone" would have had the power to grant indulgence to anyone who kissed it. The Madonna explained to Pomponio that the Basilica would counteract the presence of the devil who, in the form of an enormous pig, appeared every night in the area between Piazza Miraglia and the Courts, scaring the residents with his infernal grunt. During the earthquake of 1456 the Pomponian Basilica was seriously damaged. During 1600 the building, now in ruins, was demolished and in 1656 the construction of the new basilica was undertaken, the project of which was entrusted to Cosimo Fanzago. After an interruption caused by the plague epidemic, the work was completed in 1667. The seventeenth-century Basilica, which is the structure still visible today, was developed on a Greek cross plan, with a dome 65 meters high. The bright naves, the contrast with the shadow that envelops the choir, the architectural solutions of the entire layout, make the Fanzaghian basilica an interesting unicum in the heart of Naples. But the history of the complex does not end here: the current façade of Santa Maria Maggiore is the result of various interventions and modifications, some of these made necessary following the damage caused during World War II. The Basilica, which had already undergone radical interventions on the dome during the nineteenth century, was subject to several changes: it suffered bombing twice, the first in 1942, when an artillery shell destroyed the pediment after hitting the vault between the entrance and the dome, and the second, in 1943, when parts of the dome and the wall behind the main altar were destroyed following an air raid. The extensive damage forced the closure of the church for worship and for decades the site was in a state of abandonment, just think that during the ’70s it was even used as a warehouse for building material, putting the majolica floor at risk. After 64 years, the church was reopened with a solemn mass celebrated on 21 June 2007. The spaces of the church and chapels, together with the immense basements that offer the visitor suggestive natural and historical views of the Neapolitan subsoil, make Pietrasanta the monumental complex that best summarizes the salient phases of the complex events experienced by the Neapolitan city from ancient times up to modern.
