The Holy Thorn is directly connected to the d’Avalos family, lords of Vasto, particularly Ferrante Francesco II d’Avalos, who served as the Spanish King Philip II’s delegate to the Council of Trent between 1545 and 1563. For his exceptional service, the nobleman from Vasto was granted the Thorn, with a papal bull from Pope Pius IV certifying this extraordinary gift.
Unfortunately, the papal bull was destroyed in a fire that broke out on the night between June 14 and 15, 1645.
Miraculously, the Holy Thorn was undamaged, thanks to the bravery of a Turkish slave who, defying the flames, managed to reach the niche where it was kept and rescued it.
As a reward, the slave was granted freedom by the d’Avalos lord.
This miraculous event is depicted in a large oil painting on the ceiling, created by the Vasto artist Andrea Marchesani in 1857. The Feast of the Holy Thorn, venerated by the faithful with unwavering devotion throughout the centuries, is celebrated on the Friday before Holy Week. On this day, the relic is carried in a solemn procession through the streets of the town.
An ancient tradition holds that the Holy Thorn blooms, producing a delicate, cotton-like fluff, white in color, between 12 and 3 p.m. on Good Friday when it coincides with March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord.
Around 1590/1591, Ferrante’s son, Alfonso Felice, donated the relic to the Collegiate Church of Vasto, under the title of Santa Maria Maggiore, to establish a specific chaplaincy and gain the right to present candidates for the election of the Archpriest.
In honor of the Thorn, a special Office (Liturgy of the Hours) was granted in 1718, based on the model of the German cathedral in Freising. On Holy Thursday (In Cena Domini), with the placement of the Blessed Sacrament in the Chapel of the Holy Thorn, the faithful could gain a plenary indulgence by visiting the chapel. The concession to the Confraternity of the Gonfalone, as outlined in the papal bull of Pope Gregory XIII on February 10, 1582, is also mentioned in these prescriptions.
The relic is deeply cherished by the people of Vasto, as a symbolic representation of Christ’s Passion, and is celebrated with solemn rites, hymns, and religious songs on the Friday before Holy Week. It is displayed for the veneration of the faithful in a unique reliquary shaped like a jar and has been on permanent display since the Jubilee Year 2000 in the Chapel of the Holy Thorn.