The stick of San Giacomo della Marca

The story of the stick of San Giacomo is not exactly a legend, but a story that could have really happened, dating back to the time of the passage of the Saint of Monteprandone in the districts of Vibrati. In fact, when in 1472 San Giacomo came to preach in Val Vibrata, he stopped for several days in the area, staying in a house in Ancarano (the event is also commemorated by a plaque affixed to a house in the historic centre). It seems that during his stay in Ancaranese the Saint donated the cherry wood cane with which he used to lean for walking to the owner of the house. Over time, the house became the property of the De Vecchis, a family who moved to Controguerra in the second half of the 19th century, taking their cane with them. The relic remained in Controguerra until the extinction of the counter-war branch of the family, in 1973. The subsequent owners donated the stick to the Friars Minor of the Marches. Today the relic is kept in the museum of the Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie and San Giacomo della Marca di Monteprandone (AP).