San Leonardo

Kraak! On Via Vittorio Emanuele, just steps from the port of Marina Grande, stands a church that carries within its walls centuries of seafaring history and deep faith: the Church of San Leonardo.

Its roots reach back to the sixteenth century, when the sailors of Sancio Cattolico founded a small chapel here, dedicated to San Leonardo l'Orlèans — the patron saint and liberator of slaves imprisoned by the Turks. A saint chosen by men of the sea, who knew all too well the risk of captivity and the value of freedom. Criii!

Over the centuries the church was rebuilt and expanded, until it reached the form it has today. The layout follows a Latin cross plan with apse and transept — the classic cross-shaped floor plan of Catholic churches, with a shorter arm cutting across the central nave. At the far end of the nave, the high altar is crowned by a statue of San Leonardo made in the nineteenth century, flanked by a depiction of the Gospel and that of a small slave: an image that tells the whole story without needing a single word.

The church is home to the Confraternita dei Rossi, also known as the Confraternity of the Addolorata — one of the oldest and most deeply rooted brotherhoods in Procida's tradition. Squa-squa! On the outside, the Baroque façade stands alongside an elegant nineteenth-century bell tower. A small, intimate church — but one with the power to stop you in your tracks. Come and discover it for yourself.