A corridor featuring large canvases by the Ortonese painter Pasquale Bellonio (1698–1786), notable for his mastery of Christian iconographic symbolism, leads to the third room.
This space was once the private chapel of the noble Ortonese De Sanctis family. Proof of this is provided by two facing tombs on the walls: one of Andrea De Sanctis, who died in 1504, and the other of Andrea Matteo De Sanctis and Jacopo De Aplutio, both legal scholars, close friends, and contemporaries, who died in 1556.
Among the numerous stone artifacts on display, the coats of arms of several noble Ortonese families and the city’s first official emblem, dating from the 13th century, stand out.
Also present are various archaeological finds that attest to Ortona’s ancient origins. Particularly interesting is the so-called Pietra di Morrecine, a large stone slab with bas-reliefs of floral decorations and a bull’s head, likely from a Roman-era mausoleum.
The room also houses a small numismatic collection, including two valuable coins minted in Ortona: a bolognino and a denarello. In 1414, Queen Joanna II (1414–1435) granted Ortona the privilege of minting its own currency. The first coin issued was the small silver bolognino. The city was allowed to personalize the reverse of the coin, and it chose the effigy of Saint Thomas as Ortona’s symbol—this depiction being the oldest known representation of the Apostle in the city.