The Mystery of Mount Vesuvius's Crosses: Belief, Credulity, and Credibility in Post-Reformation Catholicism

In the summer of 1660, Mount Vesuvius began to erupt. After about a month, the volcano quieted down, but a strange and upsetting phenomenon started to manifest: all over the city of Naples and in the neighboring communities, a series of red and black crosses appeared on people's linens, clothes, and bodies. This essay focuses on this mysterious appearance and on the debate it provoked, using it as a case study to investigate the relationship between credulity, credibility, and belief in post-Reformation Catholicism.