Patronal Feast of Mary Most Holy Mother of God

A feast that gives the town its name

In Santa Maria Imbaro, a small town of about two thousand inhabitants perched at an altitude of 224 meters in the province of Chieti, Abruzzo, the patronal feast is no ordinary event: it is the very origin of the village's name. The Patronal Feast of Mary Most Holy Mother of God celebrates the patron saint who gave identity and a name to this town in the Chieti area, overlooking the hills of the Sangro-Aventino valley.

March 4th, the religious heart of the feast

The main celebration falls on March 4th, a date linked to the liturgical feast of Mary Most Holy Mother of God, established by Pope Pius XI in 1931 with the encyclical Lux Veritatis, on the occasion of the 15th centenary of the Council of Ephesus, which in 431 proclaimed the Virgin Mary "Theotokos," or Mother of God. On this day, the community of Santa Maria Imbaro gathers around its Sanctuary for a solemn mass, a procession, and the traditional rites that have marked the life of the village for generations. The town hall closes its offices and schools, a testament to how deeply this event is felt as a civic, as well as religious, celebration.

The Sanctuary of Mary Most Holy Mother of God

The focal point of the festivities is the Sanctuary of Mary Most Holy Mother of God, one of the oldest and most beloved sites in the area, recognized by FAI as one of the "Places of the Heart." The first records of a church dedicated to the Virgin in this location date back to 1059, when Pope Nicholas II confirmed its possession to the Bishop of Chieti; the original name, Sancta Maria in viam Bari, recalls the transhumance route that led from here toward Puglia. Having become a parish church in 1901, the sanctuary preserves a semicircular Romanesque apse, a round-arched portico, and a precious 13th-century Crucifixion of the Abruzzese school, along with a statue of the Madonna and Child.

The summer celebration in August

Alongside the March recurrence, Santa Maria Imbaro also celebrates its patron saint on the second Sunday of August. During the summer, when the town comes alive with visitors and returning families, the festivities are enriched with fairs, market stalls, and musical evenings in the main square, transforming devotion into a community celebration open to all.

A village in the Chieti region of Abruzzo

Santa Maria Imbaro is part of the Sangro-Aventino district in the province of Chieti and includes the hamlets of Colli, Fattore, Pagliarini, and Perilli. The patronal feast is the perfect opportunity to discover this tranquil village, its hospitality, and the popular Abruzzese traditions, blending the sacred and the profane amidst rolling hills just a few kilometers from the Adriatic coast.