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 Ottoman advance in the Balkans.
Following the spread of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel—which gained prominence in Italy after the Discalced Carmelite order was founded by Santa Teresa of Ávila and San Giovanni della Croce—a new confraternity dedicated to this Marian devotion was established in 1628.
After the demolition of the Church of San Nicola, the d’Avalos family oversaw the construction of a new church, which became the headquarters of the Confraternity of Maria Santissima del Carmine and was officially dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
The confraternity, which formalized its statutes in 1777, played a crucial role in maintaining both the church and its adjacent convent after the Lucchesi Fathers abandoned it following the suppression of religious orders by Napoleon in 1807.
During the post-World War II period, the confraternity expanded with the formation of a Pious Union of devoted followers. In 2009, it was officially re-established with a new statute. The confratelli, dressed in brown robes and capes, the traditional colors of the Carmelite Order, actively participate in major public devotional events.
The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and its solemn procession take place annually on July 16.
