Finally, it seems to have been revealed one of the mysteries which are part of the wide range of legends that surround Napoli.
This time we talk about the notorious crocodile which, it is said, was in the dungeons of the Castel Nuovo, also known as Maschio Angioino, and that used to be feed on prisoners that were conducted in these undergrounds. What is certain is that, for centuries, this was found hanging on the triumphal arch outside the Castle stuffed animal, but no one knew for sure what its origin was, so the legendary tales have multiplied over time.
Un recent study conducted by Vincenzo Caputo Barucchi, professor of Comparative Anatomy at the Polytechnic University of Marche with Tatiana Fioravanti, Emanuele Casafredda and a team of experts from the Federico II University of Naples shed light on the story. This study was published in the European Zoological Journal.
DNA studies confirming the existence of the crocodile
The definitive proof of the whole affair was given by study of the DNA of the crocodile currently found in the deposits of the San Martino Museum. He has been lying there for about 150 years and finally now he can be given a more precise identity. The studies began in 2018, when the carcass was found in a poor state of preservation and then restored by the Academy of Fine Arts of Naples under the guidance of Annamaria Nocera and Giovanna Cassese. Considering that it is a Very old DNA, it was necessary to take a part of it, the mitochondrial one, from the root of a dente.
In fact, thanks to these studies it was found that it is a crocodile known as Crocodylus Niloticus, a genotype present in the Lake Nasser in Egypt. Furthermore, with the method of radiocarbon it was possible to date its existence and it was concluded that the animal dates back to a period between 1296 and 1419. Not only that, because these analyzes have also established that it is the oldest taxidermized find from antiquity, if we exclude the Egyptian mummies.
Thanks to these innovations, scholars tend to confirm one of the most famous legends about the crocodile, the one told by Pompeo Sarnelli. In fact, the legends told over the centuries are different: let's see together which are the two most famous, of which the most accredited today seems to be that of Sarnelli.
The legends about the crocodile: from King Ferdinand I to the historian Sarnelli
The prisoners of Ferdinand I eaten by the crocodile
The Maschio Angioino is in fact a fortress, like all castles, and was built by Charles of Anjou in the XNUMXth century. Among the various rulers, it was also occupied by the Aragonese King Ferdinand I who was usual lock up his prisoners in the Mile Pit. This was one of the two undergrounds of the Castel Nuovo: there was the Prison of the Barons and, in fact, the Fossa del Miglio or Fossa del Crocodile.
According to legend, the King imprisoned inmates who suffered the most severe penalties in this dungeon. It seems that the prisoners, then, vanished into thin air and also tells it Benedetto Croce in his writings.
To understand what was happening, vigilance was increased and it seems that the soldiers discovered the presence of this large animal that he would bite the prisoners by the leg and then eat them. A "service" useful to the King, certainly. Until the day when it was no longer considered necessary to use this method and the king had the crocodile killed by feeding him a poisoned horse's leg. The animal was then stuffed and hung on the door entrance of the Maschio Angioino.
Lovers of Queen Giovanna
Another legend often told in reference to the crocodile is that according to which the Queen Giovannaand lineage of Anjou-Durazzo, exploited this animal to make kill his many lovers. The monarch's nicknames were “Giovanna the mad”, “Giovanna the Insatiable” and “Giovanna the dissolute”.
According to some, the les are still heard today whispered screams of the many men killed if you walk along the Riviera di Chiaia, along the seafront and up to Mergellina.
The history of the ex voto told by Pompeo Sarnelli
The third legend, the one that was previously believed, but even more so today more credible is the one told by Pompeo Sarnelli. Man, a bishop and one historical, wrote a sort of tourist guide of Naples in 1685 telling the story of a soldier who, returning from Egypt, wanted to offer an ex voto to the Madonna del Parto which was kept in the Palatine Chapel of the Castel Nuovo. For this reason, he offered a stuffed crocodile brought from Egypt.
This story fits in well with the very recent studies that confirm theEgyptian origin of the crocodile which is currently in San Martino, but which was once placed stuffed outside the Maschio Angioino and around which many legends were born.
Cover photo source: Repubblica
