We enter the church through the vestibule, passing the stunning bronze doors created by sculptor Antonio Di Spalatro for the Jubilee Year 2000. From here, we step to the left into the central nave, walking beneath the choir loft, where a magnificent organ—crafted by Ponziano Bevilacqua in the early 20th century—stands. Below the loft, at the back of the nave, is the Baptismal Font, made from Majella stone in 1572 and topped by a 17th-century painting dedicated to Saint John the Baptist.
The central nave, vast and impressive, is illuminated by large upper windows, separated from the lower walls by an elegant neoclassical stucco cornice. Running along the nave’s frieze, inscribed in gold lettering, is the ancient antiphon:
“ASSUMPTA EST MARIA IN COELUM, ADEAMUS CUM FIDUCIA AD THRONUM GRATIAE, UT MISERICORDIAM CONSEQUAMUR ET GRAZIAM INVENIAMUS, IN AUXILIO OPPORTUNO.”
Mary has been assumed into Heaven. Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may obtain mercy and find grace in our time of need.
Towering pillars separate the central nave from the two side aisles, each featuring niches with statues of the Evangelists, added during 19th-century renovations. Above, frescoes decorate the oval vault keys of the barrel ceilings. As we approach the apse, we see, on the left, an elegant wooden pulpit, the work of master woodworker Angelo Raspa from Vasto.
The raised apse is accessed via a short flight of steps, at the center of which is the staircase leading down to the crypt of San Cesario, enclosed by a graceful mid-19th-century marble balustrade. Another, older marble balustrade, dating to the 18th century, separates the presbytery from the nave. Unusually, Santa Maria lacks a transept, so its relatively low but strikingly broad dome rises directly above the apse. The architecture is majestic, further enhanced by the large south-facing apse window, which floods the space with natural light.
The apse is adorned with two monumental paintings by Francesco Solimena, a renowned Baroque painter of the early 18th century: The Pentecost on the left and The Presentation of the Camauro to Pope Celestine V on the right. To the left of the High Altar, near the 19th-century wooden choir stalls, stands a rare portable organ, built in 1719 by Domenico Mangino. Originally, this instrument belonged to the convent of Sant’Onofrio.
Returning to the nave, we reach the entrances to the two sacristies. The sacristy on the right, used by the clergy, houses two 18th-century paintings: The Blessing of Isaac and The Agony of Jesus in the Garden. The sacristy at the end of the left-hand nave, on the other hand, is dedicated to the Brotherhood of the Holy Thorn and contains an 18th-century wooden choir.
Now, we walk along the left-hand nave—currently on our right. The atmosphere here is quite different from the bright central nave, as this aisle lacks the same natural light.
At the end of the aisle, we find an 18th-century painting of Saint Philip Neri alongside Ecce Homo, attributed to the school of Titian. Moving past the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, decorated with early 20th-century frescoes, we come across the painting Madonna of the Snow, originally from the Church of the Madonna of the Snow, which was destroyed in the 1816 landslide. Between the second and third pillars, we find the church’s greatest masterpiece: The Marriage of Saint Catherine, painted by Paolo Veronese in the late 16th century. At the back of the nave, we enter the Gonfalone Chapel, now dedicated to the Madonna of the Rosary. This is the only surviving element of the church’s medieval structure and houses a 16th-century painting of the Madonna del Gonfalone.
Crossing back through the central nave, we reach the right-hand aisle, which, like the left, has no windows and was originally used for burials. Here lie the tombs of several notable historical figures. At the third pillar, we find the funerary monument of Count Wenceslaus Mayo, administrator of the d’Avalos estates and mentor to the young Gabriele Rossetti. Mayo, who died in 1811, is commemorated with a tomb richly adorned with Masonic symbols. A little further, at the next pillar, is the tomb of Inigo III d’Avalos. Opposite, a niche adorned with fine marble and sealed by two bronze doors—commissioned in 1647 by Diego d’Avalos—was originally built to house the Holy Thorn.
This precious relic is no longer kept in the niche but is now preserved in the chapel of the same name at the end of the nave. The chapel, designed by architect Roberto Benedetti, was built between 1921 and 1933.