The New Testament does not explicitly mention Italy’s Naples, which in Greek would be called Neapolis. Yet Acts 16:11 mentions the name Neapolis, but that refers to the Greek city, modern Kavala, Greece, a port where Paul first brought the Gospel into Europe. However, the Bible in Acts 28:13-14 states that Paul landed at Puteoli, which is near to the port of Naples. His ship journey from Malta towards Rome stopped in the Bay of Naples for a few days. In this way, early Christianity in Naples links to the pages of Scripture.
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Between Purgatory and Paradise: A Death Descent in Naples
If you’re visiting Naples, you’re stepping into a city where Christianity didn’t just grow but hid, suffered, buried its dead, till eventually a whole system of death arose into the open. Beneath the noise of modern life lies another Naples: silent corridors carved into volcanic stone, painted tombs, and underground chambers that preserve the earliest Christian memory of the city.
Naples is one of the best places in Europe to explore catacombs and ancient crypts because these spaces were not built as tourist sites or even as churches, but as burial places shaped by grief and hope in resurrection. Over time, the tombs of martyrs and bishops became sacred landmarks, marked with symbols such as the fish, the anchor, and the Good Shepherd, testifying to the region’s strong Christian faith.
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