Feast of Saint Maria Goretti

A festival in the heart of the Marche

The Feast of Saint Maria Goretti is the most cherished religious and popular event in Corinaldo, one of Italy's most beautiful villages nestled in the hills of the Ancona hinterland, in the Marche region. Every year, at the beginning of July, the Municipality of Corinaldo comes together to commemorate its most famous saint, the young martyr Maria Goretti, born right here on October 16, 1890, and venerated worldwide as a model of faith and forgiveness.

Who was Maria Goretti

Maria Goretti, called "Marietta" by her family, was born in a modest farmhouse in the countryside of Pregiagna, just outside the historic centre of Corinaldo. Her peasant family later moved to the Agro Pontino region in Lazio, where the girl was killed on July 6, 1902, at the age of eleven, after defending her dignity. Before dying, she forgave her attacker: an act that made her a universal symbol of mercy. Beatified in 1947 and proclaimed a saint by Pope Pius XII on June 24, 1950, she is today one of the most beloved figures in Italian popular devotion.

The festival's locations

The celebrations are centred around the two symbolic places of the saint: the Diocesan Sanctuary of Saint Maria Goretti, which overlooks the historic centre with its bell tower and houses an urn with the relic of the martyr's arm, and the Birthplace in the Pregiagna countryside, reachable on foot or by bus, where a small chapel still preserves original furnishings from the Goretti family.

The programme

The festival unfolds over several days of celebrations, culminating on July 6, the saint's liturgical day. The programme traditionally includes:

• Solemn masses in the Parish Church and the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows;
• The Eucharistic celebration presided over by the Bishop of the Diocese of Senigallia;
• The evocative evening torchlight procession with the recitation of the Rosary, which proceeds from the centre to the saint's birthplace;
• Cultural events and concerts in the historic centre, often part of Corinaldo's summer programme "Estate d'Incanto".

Between faith, tradition, and tourism

The Feast of Saint Maria Goretti is much more than a religious anniversary: it is a moment of strong identity for the community of Corinaldo and an attraction for pilgrims and visitors who, during these days, discover the charm of the village, its fifteenth-century walls, and the serene atmosphere of the Marche countryside. Devotion to the "little saint" thus intertwines with the life of the town, amidst processions, music, and hospitality.