The history of the Church of the Carmine has always been closely tied to the presence of a lay confraternity. In its earliest form, when the church was originally dedicated to San Nicola, the confraternity represented the Schiavoni community in Vasto—Slavs of Croatian origin who had settled in the city in the 14th century, fleeing…
The Confraternity of Pio Monte dei Morti was originally founded at the Church of Sant’Agostino (now the Cathedral of San Giuseppe) before moving to the Collegiata di San Pietro. In 1652, the confraternity built its own chapel, which was later adorned in the 18th century with a remarkable wooden Pietà by Neapolitan sculptor Giacomo Colombo.…
The oldest of the confraternities still active in Vasto is the Confraternity of the Gonfalone, based at the Collegiata di Santa Maria Maggiore. Originally dedicated to Santa Maria della Purità, it was founded at the end of the 15th century and became a part of the Archconfraternity of the Disciplinati of Rome. In the first…
An ancient brotherhood originally active at the church of San Pietro, the Confraternity of the Sacro Pio Monte dei Morti now gathers at the Church of Santa Filomena, the private chapel of the Palazzo Genova Rulli, recently restored and reopened for worship. The Confraternity of the Sacro Pio Monte dei Morti plays a key role…
The Confraternity of Santissimo Sacramento, the second oldest in Vasto after the Confraternity of the Gonfalone—which later merged into the Confraternity of the Sacred Thorn—was founded in 1542 by Prelate Giovanni Berardino de Amicis. It was historically based in the collegiate church of San Pietro, where it remained active until the church was demolished following…
In Vasto, as early as the early 1800s, the Carbonari were active under the name “Vendita dei Filantropi Istoniesi” (Sale of the Philanthropists of Istonium). Their first headquarters was located in an underground chamber beneath the Portone Panzotto, in the Santa Maria district. Later, in 1811, the headquarters were moved first to the convent of…
The area now known as Piazza Barbacani, seamlessly integrated into the modern city and considered the “square in front of the Town Hall,” was once a steep slope descending from the castle walls into the valley below. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the area was filled in to create what would later become…
Commissioned by Marquis Cesare Michelangelo, the gardens of Palazzo d’Avalos are one of the most enchanting and distinctive spots in the city. Their charm lies in the harmony between nature and human intervention, evident in the late Baroque architectural details and, most notably, in the breathtaking panorama from the viewpoint, overlooking the Gulf of Vasto.…
There is something unique about the Cathedral of Vasto—a blend of modesty and grandeur that only its history can explain. Founded in 1262 by Count Rolando Palatino, the church was originally dedicated to Santa Margherita. In the 14th century, Charles II of Anjou, King of Naples, granted it to the Augustinian Order, whose monastery stood…
The relic of the Sacred Wood of the Cross of Jesus Christ, originally kept in the Church of San Pietro, was housed in the Chapel of Saint John the Baptist, where a beautiful painting by the Vasto-born artist Nicola Tiberi was also displayed. In 1690, Cardinal Altieri, the protector of the Church of San Pietro,…