Located in the heart of Little Italy, the Church of the Most Precious Blood was commissioned in 1891 by the Scalabrinian Missionaries, who were, and are, devoted to "maintaining the Catholic faith and practice among Italian emigrants in the New World." Built by architect William Schickel in the neo-Romanesque style, after its completion in 1904 the church went on to become the point of departure for the renowned Feast of San Gennaro.
The Feast of San Gennaro, or St. Januarius in English, the patron saint of Naples, was established in New York in 1926 by Neapolitan immigrants who were living on Mulberry Street. Each September 19, after the celebratory Mass at the Church of the Most Precious Blood, the immigrants would gather around the statue of the saint and attach their offerings, usually in the form of paper money, to the streamers that hung from the saint's apron. Then the money would be given out to the poor. After the religious ceremony the neighborhood would indulge in food, drink and festivities.
Eventually the feast expanded and today consists of nine days of pure Italian merriment with music, parades, games, puppet shows, stands offering grilled sausage, street vendors and street performers, and chefs preparing sweets and pastries right in front of your eyes. The main event, the Grand Procession, starts at 2pm, right after mass, on the last Saturday of the feast. The statue is carried out from the church and is transported atop a platform up and down the street. This procession was wonderfully depicted in the film The Godfather Part II, during the episode in which the young Vito Corleone, portrayed by Robert De Niro, kills the local boss Don Fanucci.
The Feast of San Gennaro is also celebrated in the Bronx, and since the beginning of the 21st century it has spread to the west coast, to Los Angeles and Las Vegas.