CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DEL POPOLO

The building recalls the ancient pieve (parish church) of Montecarotto, which originally stood outside the walls and constituted the ecclesiastical hub of a vast territory including Montecarotto, Poggio San Marcello, Castelplanio, and Rosora. When the parish church of Santa Maria was moved inside the castle and later became the parish church dedicated to the Santissima Annunziata, the Montecarotto community decided to preserve the memory of its first and most important place of worship, initially housing an oratory in memory of the pieve and then building a new sacred building, dedicating it precisely to the Madonna del Popolo.

Inside, the venerated wooden statue of the Madonna del Popolo, solemnly crowned in 1896, is preserved. Until the mid-20th century, solemn quinquennial festivals were celebrated in honour of the Most Holy Mary of the People. Even today, the church represents a place of profound devotion and a tangible sign of continuity between past and present.