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 in one of the main rituals of Holy Week, when, on Holy Saturday, it organizes the traditional liturgy of the Office of Tenebrae in the morning.
In the afternoon, the brothers process through the city cemetery, laying wreaths on the graves of those who have no surviving relatives, on the ossuary, and on the graves of children who died as a result of violence. The liturgy concludes with a Mass in honor of the deceased at the cemetery chapel.
In addition to maintaining the Church of Santa Filomena, the confraternity also helps organize other major religious ceremonies in Vasto. The brothers who participate in the main processions are easily recognizable by their scarlet habit and mozzetta.
