Chiesa di San Gennaro

The Church of San Gennaro is the parish church of Vettica Maggiore, one of Praiano's historic hamlets. Its maiolica dome, ceramic pavement and paintings reflect centuries of religious art and local patronage.

Why it matters

The church served Vettica Maggiore, the lower of the two historic casali of Praiano. Its dedication to Saint Januarius is documented from the fourteenth century, and the building brings together architectural layers from the late sixteenth century onward.

What to notice

The church has a Latin-cross plan with three aisles and five chapels. A stucco relief of Saint Januarius decorates the central nave's vault, while the crossing is crowned by a dome clad in maiolica. The floor is a 1966 copy of the polychrome pavement laid in 1771. The wooden pulpit, supported on lion-paw pedestals, was donated by Amalfi Cathedral in 1907. Among the paintings are a sixteenth-century panel of the Madonna del Carmine, works attributed to G. B. Lama and Francesco Saverio Corbelli's 1761 Last Supper in the octagonal sacristy.

Context and history

A church dedicated to Saint Januarius is documented at Vettica from the 1300s. The present building opened in 1589 and was completed in 1602. Amalfitan families held its patronage until 1859, when it passed to the people of Praiano. The façade was rebuilt in 1931. In 1905, women who made fishing nets in Vettica contributed to an altar depicting the martyrdom of Saint Januarius.