Parish Church of Santa Maria de Abbatissis

He later became parish priest of the Church of S. Lucia and rector of the nearby Church of S. Stephen of Busseto. He then returned to the Benedictine Monastery of Serra de’ Conti, where he died in 1367 at the age of eighty-seven, receiving burial in the Church of S. Maria Assunta “De Abbatissis”. In 1524 he was beatified and named patron of the town. Between the end of the sixteenth and the beginning of the seventeenth century, by papal will, the Benedictine abbey was suppressed and entrusted, together with all its assets, to a cardinal, who in turn appointed a vicar to act as parish priest. In 1782 Pope Pius VI elevated it to a collegiate church, but after its annexation to the Kingdom of Italy (1861) it returned to being a simple parish, while retaining its title. Perhaps on the occasion of his appointment as collegiate church, the presbytery and choir were renovated, while in 1828 reconstruction work began which affected a large part of the building. The current three-nave structure is enriched by the presence of several side chapels, a wooden choir from the Monastery of S. Mary Magdalene and an organ made in 1866 by Odoardo Cioccolani of Cingoli. This interesting panel depicts Blessed Gherardo, patron saint of Serra De’ Conti, and is located in the chapel dedicated to him in the Church of S. Maria de Abbatissis. The blessed Benedictine monk (1280-1367) is depicted in the typical white habit of the Camaldolese. He was a monk of Santa Croce di Sassoferrato, but lived most of his life in Serra De’ Conti where he was also a beneficiary of the church that houses his body and this panel. He was a miracle worker in life as in death and for this very reason a certain Gaspare di S. Stefano dedicates this work to him as an ex voto.