The exterior of Santa Maria Maggiore is irregular, built with rough brick, and contrasts with the artistic elegance of its Neoclassical interior. However, it bears numerous traces of the transformations the grand structure has undergone over time. For this reason, a full tour around the building is essential to truly appreciate its architectural evolution.
Starting at the entrance vestibule on Via Santa Maria, the Late Baroque elements immediately catch the eye, a result of the expansion work initiated in 1785. The small façade, aligned with the right nave, features a single order, a pilaster on the right side, and a rusticated portal. The curved roof, window, and lantern atop the tympanum further highlight the Late Baroque style.
Moving to the church’s western side, the wall appears irregular until a protruding section marks the site of the ancient transept. Looking up, the recessed structure of the main nave becomes visible, with large windows that illuminate the interior. In contrast, the windows of the right nave are all walled up. Within the perimeter wall, remnants of two columns stand out—once part of the portico built by Mastro Berardo in 1234.
This detail reveals the church’s original east-west orientation, with the apse facing east. However, during the 18th-century expansion, the building’s orientation shifted to north-south, as seen today.
Continuing the tour, we arrive at Piazza del Tomolo, where the side nave ends with the sacristy. On the southern side of the church, along Via Reno, stands the imposing apse, renovated in the early 19th century along with the crypt of San Cesario, following a design by architect Nicola Maria Pietrocola.
Despite its impressive size, the apse maintains a simple structure, adorned only with brick pilasters and a cornice. On its western side, about seven meters above the ground, a tombstone of a Norman dignitary is embedded. Local folklore claims that within it lies a stylized image of death, affectionately nicknamed “Zà Mascia” (Aunt Tommasa), inspiring numerous legends over the years.
As the tour progresses, visitors wander through the narrow medieval alleys. Along Via Lupacchino and Via De Sanctis, they pass by the second sacristy of Santa Maria, home to the Confraternity of the Sacred Thorn. Reaching Via Tiziano, the path loops back to the main body of the church, ending at the charming square beside the entrance to the left nave.
Here, just outside the Chapel of the Gonfalone, visitors can admire the remains of a 15th-century mullioned window, a relic from the chapel’s original construction.
Separating this area from Via Santa Maria is the grand bell tower, attached to the main nave. Built in three phases, its base incorporates the perimeter walls of an ancient fortification known as “La Battaglia.” This structure, likely a key defensive point within the Norman walls, was later adapted during the Angevin period, incorporating columns, a cornice, and corbels made of squared stone.
The main shaft of the bell tower, constructed in 1331, retains two pointed arch windows on each side. The structure was later modified between 1714 and 1730, under the rule of Cesare Michelangelo d’Avalos, adding pilasters and a cornice that serve as the base for the monumental belfry.
Returning to the entrance, the western wall of “La Battaglia” presents a striking sight. Among the pointed brick arches, within the infill between the columns, two 15th-century stone coats of arms can be seen. The first, depicting a lamb surmounted by a cross, represents the chapter of the Church of Santa Maria. The second, featuring two isosceles triangles topped by a crown, symbolizes the coat of arms of Vasto—then a royal domain city—and the Durazzo family, rulers of the Kingdom of Naples at the time.
