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 If you have
browsed in the entries in the Underground
Naples portal, you will know of the extensive
network of caves and tunnels that lie both beneath the
city or that are dug into the tufa hills surrounding the
city. Most of them have served practical purposes over the
centuries; that is, they have been quarries, aqueducts,
and tunnels for both ancient and modern modes of
transportation. A few of them have been cemeteries (such
as the Fontanelle), but as
far as I know there have not been many so-called "cave
churches" in Naples. There are examples of cave churches
elsewhere in southern Italy, primarily in Matera (the entire town was cut
into the side of a cliff) or in Fasano, near Brindisi
(again, the church was part of an entire cave village),
and a few others. An ideal place to dig a hole in a tufa mountain in Naples would be on the northwest slope behind the great Camaldoli hill, itself a remnant wall of the great archiflegrean caldera collapse eons ago. That is where we find the town of Marano and the cave church of Santa Maria di Pietraspaccata (split stone) built on and in the hill in woods that slope down towards the town of Quarto. The church is in a state of total decay and those concerned with preserving the cultural artifacts of the area have launched an appeal to save it. I don't see that as impossible; I do see it as difficult, however. The history of the church is obscure, at least as to the original use of the site for religious purposes. A Christian church, a hermitage, goes back at least to the 1600s, but the man-made cave, itself, shows some evidence of being much older than that and may have been a cult site or even a cemetery in the days of ancient Rome. Interestingly, though the church is in terrible condition, there are still religious rites, including baptisms and communion, held on the site; the figure of Our Lady of Pietraspaccata is still revered by locals, who have managed to keep at least part of the premises in working order. One of the legends connected with the site is that of the massive rock that split from the cliff side during the construction of the original hermitage; it splintered and changed in mid-flight into a likeness of the Madonna, which was then displayed as the iconic religious relic of the church. It was stolen in the 1970s, according to one source. The structure that will have to be restored includes the stairway entrance and facade in the rock face, three separate inside levels around the main chapel, and, as long as we are making a wish list, the murals on the wall and the majolica tiles in various places. There is also a belfry in shambles. I don't imagine there is any hope of getting the Madonna back. to encyclopedia index to Underground Naples Portal
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