The second room begins with a space on the right wall containing a cycle of paintings depicting four episodes from the life of Saint Catherine of Alexandria by the 18th-century painter Giovan Battista Gamba.
In the display case of sacred silverworks, two chalices of notable artistic value stand out: one donated by Pope Leo XIII to the Cathedral of Ortona in 1887, and the other by Monsignor Boccabarile in 1608.
Also of interest is a portion of the clock face dated 1583, originally located on the civic tower that was destroyed in the 1943 bombing.
On the left side is the former Chapel of Saint Onuphrius, which retains its original structure with a vaulted ceiling, base molding, and three walled-up openings. It was likely built between the late 13th and early 14th centuries and served as the church’s guest quarters.
In this evocative space, the silverworks are once again prominent, including the noteworthy Cartegloria and an altar cross by the Neapolitan artist Filippo del Giudice from the 1700s.
Equally captivating are the wooden heads of the famous “dressed statues,” locally known in Abruzzese dialect as conocchie (a term also used for the distaff used in wool and cotton spinning). These figures, associated with traditional dressing rituals, are vivid expressions of popular devotion.
At the end of the room are the most important works related to the Apostle Thomas, whose sacred remains have been kept in the Cathedral since September 6, 1258.
A moment of reflection is invited by the painting The Incredulity of Saint Thomas the Apostle, an ex-voto commissioned in 1731 by the Municipality of Ortona from the Ferrara-born painter Giuseppe Lamberti after the town was spared from a plague.
The arrival of the Apostle’s remains is told in a 16th-century Venetian bas-relief that vividly depicts the landing of the galley at the port of Ortona, arriving from the island of Chios, where the Ortonese captain Leone had taken the sacred relics.