The Church of Sant’Antonio di Padova stands along Via Adriatica, its exterior modest and unadorned, reflecting its origins as part of a Franciscan convent. Built with a single nave and lacking decorative cladding—even on its brick façade—it still bears the telltale “putlog holes” once used to support scaffolding during its construction.
While its outward appearance may be simple, the church’s history is anything but, and its interior is a striking example of Neapolitan Baroque.
This area of the ancient Roman city was once home to thermal baths, later repurposed in the early Christian period to build the Church of the Holy Cross. According to legend, in the early 13th century, Franciscan friars—led by St. Francis himself—established a confraternity here, initially dedicated to the Holy Trinity of Pilgrims. It was later rededicated to the Franciscan saint Fernando Martins de Bulhões, canonized as Sant’Antonio di Padova.
A document from 1271 records a widow’s wish to donate her home to the congregation to establish a hospital. By 1336, the organization of a provincial Franciscan chapter confirms the presence of a convent, which was likely already completed and fully operational.
The structure we see today is not the medieval original but a reconstruction from the early 18th century. The only surviving element from the original building is its simple Gothic portal. The reconstruction, completed in 1723 and financed by Count Carlo de Nardis—a wealthy nobleman from Vasto and Prior of the Confraternity of Sant’Antonio—raised the building and adorned its interior in elaborate Baroque style.
During the Napoleonic suppression of religious orders, the convent was abandoned and later acquired by the municipality. Over the years, it served as the seat of the sub-prefecture, then as a museum, and eventually as an elementary school, where generations of local children were educated.
In 1956, a devastating landslide caused the convent to collapse, revealing the remains of ancient Roman baths beneath it. The disaster also destroyed the nearby Collegiate Church of San Pietro. Its parish seat, along with sacred artworks and significant relics, was subsequently transferred to the Church of Sant’Antonio.
Following restoration in 1990—coinciding with Pope John Paul II’s reaffirmation of Vasto’s historic jubilee privileges—the church Church of Sant’Antonio di Padova once again displays the magnificent Baroque vision of Count de Nardis.
Above the entrance vestibule, the choir loft holds wooden statues of the Risen Christ, Saint Peter, and Saint Paul, dating back to the early 17th century. Flanking the space, bas-reliefs depict key moments from the life of Sant’Antonio di Padova.
On the right side of the nave, two altars are dedicated to San Francesco and Sant’Antonio, each featuring 16th-century wooden statues of the saints.
The main altar houses an 18th-century wooden crucifix by Giacomo Colombo, originally from the Church of San Pietro. Alongside it is a silver monstrance containing a relic of the Holy Cross, as well as a terracotta statue of Saint Peter as Pope, crafted in 1797 by Luigi Vassetta.
Near the presbytery, a statue of Sant’Antonio stands in the right nave. Over the years, the big toe of its left foot has been worn smooth—a testament to the devotion of the faithful, who traditionally kiss the saint’s foot during his feast day.
