Santo Stefano is a Catholic church and former cathedral on the island of Capri, Italy. Dedicated to Saint Stephen, it is the principal house of worship in the town of Capri.^[1] The religious complex was built around the Piazza Umberto Isquare in the seventeenth century. The archbishop’s palace is now used as the town hall (“Municipio”).^[2] Santo Stefano and Chiesa di San Costanzo are the island’s two oldest churches.^[3]

This was the church where inadvertently, I almost ended up attending the service.

When we arrived in the square, we found that the Cathedral (Cathedral of Santo Stefano) which had been closed when we first arrived in Capri, was now open. We ventured inside for a quick look before we made our way back to the harbour for the ferry.

It is a beautiful church and, after sitting for quiet reflection, I arose and took in some of the features of the church. For some reason I was drawn into a side passage, at the end of which was a large silver bust in a showcase. I continued into the passageway, which I would describe as showing Christian artifacts. I paused looking into an open room to find a gentleman standing there. He picked up a white garment and for a moment I thought he was looking at  me and then I realised that he was holding a fascia and he handed it to a priest that had quite silently arrived behind me.

The gentleman then engaged me in conversation, asking me if I liked the church and where had I come from before politely saying goodbye. I realised that a church service was due to start and as I turned to make my way out of the passageway I noticed that the gentleman that had been speaking to me was carrying an incense thurible into the main body of the church. I left the church quietly, noticing that now there were many people seated quietly ready for the service as tourists were still pouring in through the entrance with their cameras in hand.