The “Chiesa del Carmine” (Church of Carmine), also known as the Church of Suffrage due to its historical ownership by the Confraternity of the same name, was built between 1715 and 1725 at the behest of Giulio Papetti, a lawyer active in the Roman curia.
The complex represents a remarkable example of local architecture. Its distinctive feature lies in the original fusion of styles – the curved lines typical of the Baroque and the sobriety that anticipates the Neoclassical.
An 1861 report notes that once the façade was aligned with the castle walls, while the main body of the church extended beyond the inner defensive perimeter. A pastoral visit by the Archbishop of Fermo Gabriele Ferretti in 1838 confirms that the church had long served as a cemetery.
The Church of Carmine is built on a Latin cross plan. At the crossing point of the arms rises the dome with an octagonal base, which is separated from the arches below by a low drum and crowned by an octagonal lantern. The interior is striking in its simplicity: the decoration relies almost entirely on the architectural elements themselves.
The exterior façade, on the other hand, is more elaborate, featuring handcrafted shaped face bricks. Several decorative elements stand out: the molded cornices above the central portal and upper window, the Doric half-columns that marking the first order, and the Ionic ones on the second order. Also of notable architectural merit are the two side portals, featuring ashlar work and raised bands.
Finally, the façade is characterized by a semicircular pediment, flanked on either side, the Papetti family coat of arms: three Italic mountains topped with a star on the central peak.
Inside the church, above the high altar, a valuable painting depicting the “Madonna del Carmine and Saints” is preserved, a work which can be attributed to the school of the painter Carlo Maratta. Also worthy of mention are the woodcut Stations of the Cross inside the building. The bell tower, as we see it today, was added in 1847.
