Church of St. John the Baptist

The Church of St. John the Baptist holds a place of honor in the municipality of Acquasanta Terme. It can be reached by traveling along Corso G. Schiavi, and then ascending the various stairways in order: Via San Giovanni, Via dell’Arco, and

The church was built in 1039 and initially stood isolated on the hill, essentially bordering religious apartments. It was dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of the town, an important figure in the Gospels and Christianity itself, as his life often intersects with that of Jesus Christ. From the 18th century onwards, it has been renovated multiple times, as can be seen from the various architectural details it presents, adding the apse and supporting buttresses.

The entire structure is architecturally very simple. The facade, sober and clean, features a travertine portal and an empty pediment, on which the simple inscription “RENOVATA ET DEDICATA A. D. MDCCCXCV” is engraved. On the right side, we see what remains of an old and well-visible wall clock, unfortunately removed at the end of the 18th century.

In stark contrast to the exterior, the interior displays all its richness, with a single nave but several small side chapels, where we can find the statue of the patron saint St. John the Baptist and that of the co-patron saint of the town, St. Eurosia, usually invoked against storms, lightning, hail, and protector of all the fruits of the earth harvested during this period. The Saint is celebrated by the citizens the day after the patron saint’s day, on June 25, when in different parts of Italy, bells still ring to ward off bad weather and bless the crops.

The walls and high vaulted ceilings are cheerfully frescoed and decorated, while on the sides of the nave we can find two important and valuable paintings from the early 20th century: Our Lady of the Rosary and Saints and Our Lady of Loreto, painted by Giulio Cantalamessa, a well-known 19th-century painter from Ascoli. Hidden behind the large crucifix, we find the tabernacle that holds the relic of St. John the Baptist, allegedly stolen, according to the well-known local writer Angela Latini, by the papal followers of Acquasanta from the Abruzzese subjects, and brought here at the end of the 17th century.