In Piazza S. Severo, at n. 81, we find the church of San Severo fuori le mura, dedicated to the bishop who ruled the episcopate of Naples from 364 to 410. This was the place chosen for his burial and around which, as was the custom among the early Christians, a large underground cemetery developed. The basilica on the catacombs was abandoned at the beginning of the 9th century, when the relics of the Saint were transported inside the city walls, to St. George Major. The building was restored only in the 16th century, and in its present form at the end of the 17th century. From the third chapel on the left you can access the catacombs, of which you can see a cell with three arches (arched niches dug into the wall where the sarcophagi were placed), decorated with frescoes that, although very ruined, are a beautiful example of catacombal painting.
