Wednesday, December 8, 2010

St. Thomas Aquinas

The Sacristy

Nook of Naples:  St. Thomas Aquinas lived in Naples for many years and you can find one of his handwritten works in the Manuscript Department of the National Library


St. Thomas Aquinas also headed the Theology University beginning in 1272.  The University was located at what today is the San Domenico Maggiore church in downtown Naples.


If you visit the church, make sure to look inside the sacristy where 42 coffins are arranged along the balcony.  One contains the remains of King Alphonse of Aragon and another of King Ferdinand I of Aragon.


The Tombs along the Balcony

King Ferdinand I of Aragon


A mystery also exists inside this sacristy:  the Treasure Room was suppose to hold the human hearts of King Charles II of Anjou as well as King Alphonse and King Ferdinand I, but when the French occupied the Kingdom of Naples in the 19th century, the relics disappeared forever.


Getting There:  Vico San Domenico Maggiore 18 (the piazza along Via Benedetto Croce/Via S. Biagio Dei Librai)

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