Chiesa di Santa Luciella a San Biagio dei Librai, Naples

Santa Luciella is a compact historic church dedicated to Saint Lucia, tucked along the street of the booksellers in Naples. Its story reaches back to before 1327, when Bartolomeo di Capua founded it. Later, workers who shaped volcanic stone adopted the church and its dedication, since their trade endangered their eyes.

The most striking feature lies below: a burial crypt containing the confraternity’s dead. Their remains were treated through a drying process, and skulls were kept on display. Among them is the famous skull with ears.

This unusual appearance comes from a rare, unusually balanced separation of bone in the skull. In local devotional tradition, worshippers believed those apparent ears made it especially receptive to whispered prayers. After decades of abandonment, the church reopened to visitors on 5 April 2019 following restoration.