Feast of Saint John the Baptist - Patron Saint of Acquasanta Terme

The patronal feast of Acquasanta Terme

The Feast of Saint John the Baptist is the most cherished religious and civil event in Acquasanta Terme, a small spa town in the province of Ascoli Piceno, in the Marche region, nestled along the Tronto Valley at the foot of the Monti della Laga. Saint John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, is the town's patron saint, and his nativity is celebrated every year on June 24th, a fixed liturgical date that forms the centre of widespread festivities throughout the historic centre and its hamlets.

Saint John the Baptist and Saint Euphemia

In Acquasanta Terme, popular devotion links two figures: the patron saint Saint John the Baptist, celebrated on June 24th, and the co-patroness Saint Euphemia, celebrated the following day, June 25th. Saint Euphemia is invoked by the community against storms, lightning, and hailstorms and is considered the protector of the harvests: her feast, deeply rooted in the agricultural civilization of the Apennines, traditionally includes the blessing of bread. This duo of celebrations makes the mid-June weekend particularly intense, when the village comes alive with rites, music, and convivial moments.

Rites and moments of the feast

The heart of the feast remains religious, but the patronal day opens up to the community dimension with events that have been repeated for years in Acquasanta Terme:

• Processions with the statues of the saints along the streets of the historic centre and, according to tradition, the transfer of the Saint to the hamlets of the municipal territory;
• Solemn Masses celebrated by the bishop of the diocese of Ascoli Piceno and local parish priests, often accompanied by the Blessing of the Waters;
• the concert by the Band of the City of Acquasanta Terme, a historic presence at the town's patronal feasts;
• the traditional evening fireworks that conclude the main day;
• the blessing of the bread on the day dedicated to Saint Euphemia.

The feast is organized by the Municipality of Acquasanta Terme together with Pro Acquasanta Terme and the Saint John the Baptist Feast Committee, with the official participation of the municipal administration.

A spa town in the Marche

Visiting Acquasanta Terme during the patronal feast is also an opportunity to discover an authentic corner of the inner Marche region: a town known since ancient times for its sulphurous waters, immersed in the greenery of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park. The feast of Saint John the Baptist tells the identity of an Apennine community tied to the land, to faith, and to its roots, and offers the visitor a genuine image of Marche tradition.