10 Churches to Explore in Marche

The cathedral of Ancona is dedicated to San Ciriaco and is the metropolitan cathedral of the archdiocese of Ancona-Osimo. It is a medieval church where the Romanesque style blends with the Byzantine one, evident in the plan and in many decorations. It stands in a spectacular position at the top of the Guasco hill, already occupied by the Acropolis of the Greek-Doric city, from where it dominates the whole city of Ancona and its gulf. In May 1926, Pope Pius XI elevated it to the dignity of a mino

The cathedral of Urbino is the main church of the city and the cathedral of the archdiocese of Urbino-Urbania-Sant'Angelo in Vado. It has remained similar in size to the previous Renaissance cathedral, demolished by the earthquake of 1789, and has been rebuilt in a neoclassical style; it measures 64.5 m in length, 36.8 m in width, and 50 m in height. It is dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta. In November 1950, Pope Pius XII elevated it to the dignity of a minor basilica.

The abbey of Fiastra rises in the lower Valle del Fiastra near the homonymous river, in the territory of the municipalities of Tolentino and Urbisaglia, and represents the most important monastic building in the Marche. Of a style of transition from Romanesque to Gothic, it fully reflects the Cistercian influence of Lombard flavor. The most important elements of the abbey are arranged around the cloister, which is the heart of the monastery: here the monks would contemplate and meditate while wa

The church of Santa Maria della Piazza is located in Ancona in Piazza Santa Maria, in the ancient Porto district . Built between the 11th and 12th centuries , it is a notable example of the Romanesque style . It was built on an early Christian church of the fourth century restored in the sixth ; a part of the floor of the present church is in glass to allow the vision of the paleochristian mosaics below.

The hermitage of San Leonardo al Volubrio is an ancient monastery built in the heart of the Gole dell'Infernaccio, on the Sibillini Mountains in the municipality of Montefortino, in the Province of Fermo, in the Marche region. Today only a small church remains of the original structure, rebuilt on the pre-existing remains by the Capuchin friar Armando Lavini, better known as Father Pietro, who, starting from the 1970s, undertook the renovation work alone and with inadequate equipment.

The monastery of Fonte Avellana , dedicated to the Holy Cross, is located in the municipality of Serra Sant'Abbondio , in the province of Pesaro and Urbino , on the slopes of Monte Catria. Its origins date back to the end of the first millennium AD and are closely linked to the history of the Camaldolese congregation . The hermitage was perhaps founded by San Romualdo in 980 .

The sanctuary of Macereto is a religious complex that rises to a height of about 1000 meters above sea level on the plateau of the same name on the western side of the Sibillini Mountains, in the municipal area of Visso, in the Marche region. In the vicinity of which once stood the castle of the counts of Fiastra. It was declared a national monument in 1902. It is one of the greatest expressions of Renaissance architecture of the 16th century in the Marche.

The Basilica Della Santa Casa is a shrine of Marian pilgrimage in Loreto, Italy. The basilica is known for enshrining the house in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed by some Catholics to have lived. Pious devotees believe that the same house was flown over by Angelic beings from Jerusalem to Tersatto then to Recanati before arriving at the current site.

The hermitage of Santa Maria Infra Saxa is located in Genga, in the Marche region, in the same cavity in which the neoclassical Temple, called del Valadier, is located. The Hermitage was built between the rocks and is partially excavated in the cave wall. The first written records of the hermitage date back to 1029 and speak of a cloistered female monastery inhabited by Benedictine nuns. It is believed that once the population took refuge in these caves to escape the attacks of the invaders.

The sanctuary of the Madonna del Lambro is a religious building of Marian worship, located in the municipality of Montefortino, in the Sibillini Mountains. It is the second most important sanctuary in the Marches, preceded only by that of Loreto. The sanctuary rises along the course of the Ambro torrent, at an altitude of 683 meters above sea level, dominated by the high rocky walls of the Sibillini Mountains: towards the north rise the rocks of Balzo Rosso.