For the people of Amalfi, 8 May 1208 is a very important date. That is when the Relics of Apostle Andrew brought back from Constantinople to Amalfi by Cardinal Pietro Capuano were delivered to the Amalfi Church.
A fleet of no less than nine galleys was used to transport them. After sailing to Syria, the remains arrived in Gaeta, where the Cardinal sent them back home in sealed trunks.
Before handing the relics over to Amalfi, the Cardinal had the transept and crypt of the cathedral built at his own expense.
At a time in history when everyone was hunting for relics, the Cardinal decided to hide some of them, including the head of St Andrew, in a place only a few trusted people knew, while he entrusted the others to public veneration, although buried deep beneath the high altar.
The urn was found on 2 January 1603, during the Baroque transformation works on the crypt; however, it was buried once again to protect it from Barbaric incursions.
On the night of 28-29 January 1846, during construction work to rebuild part of the floor, the urn came to light once again, and it has been on display for worship of the faithful ever since.
