Virgil's tomb
Virgil's tomb (Italian: Tomba di Virgilio) is a Roman burial vault dating back to the Augustan age, located in Naples, southern Italy. It is found at the entrance to the old Roman tunnel known as the grotta vecchia or cripta napoletana in the Parco Virgiliano in the Piedigrotta district of the city.
Virgil's tomb is located on the hill between Mergellina and Fuorigrotta, on the road heading north along the coast, beside a very old tuff quarry. It is a small, unimpressive-looking structure, with a small dome of rocks located at the top of the park.
History
The tunnel was built during the reign of Augustus connecting Neapolis (ancient Naples) to Pozzuoli and Baiae. The tunnel is over 700 meters in length and between 4 to 6 meters wide. The height varies from 7 to 30 meters. Until the beginning of 20th century the tunnel could be used to travel from Naples to Baiae.[1] Unfortunately, the tunnel is now closed[citation needed] for renovations as parts are blocked by collapses that happened during the 1920s.
Virgil was the object of literary admiration and veneration before his death. In the following centuries his name became associated with miraculous powers and his tomb the object of pilgrimages and pagan veneration. The poet himself was reputed to have created the cave with the fierce power of his intense gaze.
At the time of Virgil's death, a large bay-tree was growing near the entrance. According to the legend, it died when Dante died, and Petrarch planted a new one. Because visitors took branches as souvenirs the new tree died too.[1]
Virgil's death
When Virgil died at Brindisi in 19 BCE, he asked that his ashes be taken back to his villa just outside of Naples. There a shrine was created for him, and sacred rites were held every year on his birthday. He was given the rites of a heros or hero, at whose tomb the devout may find protection and counsel (as from Orpheus' oracular head). Virgil's tomb became a place of pilgrimage for many centuries, and Petrarch and Boccaccio found their way to the shrine. It is said that the nearby Chiesa della Santa Maria di Piedigrotta was erected by the Church authorities to neutralise this pagan adoration and "Christianise" the site.The tomb however, is a tourist attraction, and still sports a tripod burner originally dedicated to Apollo.[2]
Ruin
Eventually the tomb fell into ruin and its exact location was forgotten. It is said that a certain English scholar Ludowicus, acting secretly for the Norman king Roger II (c.1136 CE), who was trying to conquer Naples, came looking for Virgil's bones and his book of magic. Using secret arts Ludowicus found them. The people of Naples prevented him from taking the bones because they protected the city, but he was allowed to take the book, the Ars Notaria. John of Naples showed parts of this book to Gervase of Tilbury around the year 1200.[citation needed]The bones were placed in an ampule (ampulla) in the Castel dell'Ovo, where they guarded the city.[citation needed] (Many cities were similarly protected by heroes; for example Aristotle's bones guarded Palermo, and other cities were protected by Orpheus, Hesiod, Alcmene, Plato and others.[citation needed]) Other sources say that it was Robert of Anjou who placed Virgil's bones there.[citation needed]
Lore
It is said that Virgil's Bones protected Naples for many years, and attackers usually suffered from plagues of flies.[citation needed] (It is interesting that one of the legends of Virgil has him constructing a Magic Fly to control the Neapolitan flies.[citation needed] Like the hero Heracles, he appealed to Zeus Muiagros, or Fly Catcher. Gervase of Tilbury knew of two churches that used Virgil's spell to control flies.[citation needed]) Eventually, in 1194 Emperor Henry VI, who was well-schooled in classical lore, was able to conquer Naples, for it had been discovered that there was a minute crack in the ampule.[citation needed] Thus the Hermetic seal was broken, and Naples fell by force of arms for the first time in a thousand years.References
- ^ a b The Tomb Of Virgil Old and Sold
- ^ Oggetto Artistico : Virgil's Tomb Parco della Tomba di Virgilio. Circuito informativo regionale della Campania per i Beni Culturali e Paesaggistici.
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