Velut Luna
Sibilla Cumana
Mysteries of Naples
The Devil in the Convent
true story of
Nuns of Sant' Arcangelo a Bajano
a trial of the Inquisition
in the sixteenth century
The Devil in the Convent
true story of
Nuns of Sant' Arcangelo a Bajano
a trial of the Inquisition
in the sixteenth century
Naples is the most mysterious city in Europe, and the only city of the ancient world that has not perished like Troy, or Nineveh, or Babylon. It is the only city in the world that has not sunk in the immense shipwreck of ancient civilization. Naples is a Pompeii that was never buried. Is not a city: is a world. The ancient world with its pagan customs have remained intact on the surface of the modern world. You cannot understand Naples, nor ever will you understand Naples.
(Curzio Malaparte)
1
The last stroke of the pickaxe shatters the thin layer of brick which conceals the opening of a door in the ancient wall of the House of the Theatine Fathers in the Via Duomo (Cathedral Street) in Angevin Naples.
I'd made no mistake, those small irregularities in the plaster couldn't hide the mystery. The dust from the collapsed thin wall now settled, from the darkness of the monk's cell there appeared a narrow passage in the thickness of the wall that divided the House of the Theatines from the nuns' Convent of St. Archangel in Baiano. (St. Michael)
The mason takes his flashlight and walks into the short corridor. I follow, we see a stairway down. As we descend some steps, the torch goes out.
Luna- 'O'puorco! A'chisto mo' mme'zompa n'cuoll' e mme'fotte a'cca'.
(Pig! Someone's jumped on me and he's raping me here!)
I fall back on the steps thrown down under his weight, I'm trying to defend myself when a man's yell stuns me:
mason- 'E' rriavule!' (The Devil!).
He stamps on me and escapes.
Luna- 'Strunz e'mierda, l'ucchiale! mo'ch'aggio a'ffà? ma ch'era, na bufala?'
(Oh fuck and shit, my glasses! Now what am I going to do? But what was it, a hoax?)
My legs are trembling like a pair of soft mozzarella cheeses, I can hardly stand. In the dark I try kneeling on the step groping for my glasses.
Luna- 'Ma ddove e'cazze...?!' (but where fuck...?)
Gennaro- 'Doctor! Doctor! Are you alive? Where are you?'
Luna- 'Gennaro vviene a'cca!' (come here!)
Comforted by the voice of Gennaro, I try to get up. Placing my hand against the wall, I feel wood, an iron handle. It moves, I pull, the squeal of the wood tugged along the floor makes me realize that it is a box.
Gennaro- 'O'mmarònna!' (Madonna!)
Gennaro- 'Doctor, have you hurt yourself?'
Luna- ' No, Gennaro, I’m okay. Lucky I had a helmet, or I’d have cracked my head against the step ... '
Gennaro- 'Give me your hand, Doctor! We’ll climb back up, I’ll light the torch.'
Luna- 'Come here, Gennaro, take hold of this - I'll take the other handle, it’s not heavy.'
Gennaro- 'What is it?'
Luna- 'I don't know! Up we go!'
Gennaro is a nice guy, 'nu bbello guaglione', he’s called 'o sarracino' (the saracen) because of his swarthy complexion, dark eyes and curly hair. He’s good and helpful as only a few guys in Naples can be, I like that. I realise he looks at me with desire mixed with admiration, I'm certainly a beautiful girl, petite and brunette, I can be pretty desirable even in my work clothes. I am Superintendent of Archaeological Heritage of the City of Naples and I'm here to preside over the work of rescue and restoration of these buildings, mostly of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries , but with pre-existing structures dating back to Roman times .
Gennaro- 'E u'rriavolo l'avete visto?' (And you’ve seen the Devil?)
Luna- 'Ma ch'e'cazze Gennà? A'cchillo c'aveva 'na'paùra!
(What the fuck was it, Gennaro? It was such a fright!)
- with all those stories of ghosts and devils that run at night between these walls...'
Gennaro- 'Maronna!' (Madonna!)
Luna- 'Come with me to the car, I’ve got to look for another pair of glasses – please carry the box, my arm can’t manage it any more.'
Gennaro- 'Were you very frightened?'
Luna- 'Yes I was … that he wanted to fuck me, o'puorco!' (the pig!)
Gennaro- 'Then we’d have found his tackle!'
Luna- 'Ch'e'ddici Gennà?' (what do you mean, Gennaro?)
Gennaro- 'Excuse me, Doctor, don’t misunderstand me, I just meant that you’d have just ripped his balls off if he’d tried...'
My heart skips a little beat as I shake my dusty jacket, I look for the car keys in the pockets.
Luna- 'Sfaccìmme! L'ò perdute dint'o muro!'
(Cum! I lost them too when I hit the wall!)
Gennaro- 'E'mo?' (And now?)
Luna- 'Take me home with you. Do you have your car here?'
Gennaro- 'Yes, ma'am, at your service, Doctor! And this?' referring to the box he’s still holding in his hands,
Luna- 'Come on let's put it in the sports bag'
Gennaro pulls my bra and my black lacy thong from the bag, he looks at me, embarrassed ...
Luna- 'Put them all in the holdall.'
Gennaro- 'This, too?'
Luna- 'You've never seen a thong? Give me my pumps and help me take these boots off, they’re hurting my back.'
Gennaro- 'Doctor, wouldn’t it be better to go to the hospital? Just for a check ...'
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