The Municipal Thater, today dedicated to "Fairy Tales and Poetry", has an ancient history and was originally built as a church, and later as the first cathedral of Montalto. As early as 1556, the Ecclesia Sancte Marie ad Collem is listed among the other eight churches in the city. In August 1585, Pope Sixtus V elevated it to a collegiate church, and the following year it was granted the dignity of cathedral intra moenia of the new Diocese of Montalto. There is evidence of a series of altars dedicated to various saints, including Lucia, Nicholas, Sebastian, Francis and Clare, Mary of Childbirth, Michael, and the Guardian Angel. According to the report of the 7th bishop, Ascanio Paganelli, during his visit in April 1674, the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament still preserved the sacred relics donated by the Montalto-born Pope, namely the exquisite Reliquary and six silver candlesticks with a cross. In the 1772 cadastre, the tall and elegant bell tower is still depicted. However, due to water infiltration caused by the building’s location and the 37 earthquakes that occurred in the 18th century—among them the terrible shock of June 19, 1795—the church’s structure must have been so compromised that it was demolished in August 1851. In the years 1953–55, the building was definitively deconsecrated and transformed into a parish cinema. Later, the Curia entrusted it to the Municipality, which began restoration work. The rebuilt Municipal Theater of Montalto was happily inaugurated on the evening of May 4, 2013. Today, it hosts a rich theatrical season as well as conferences, festivals, and cultural initiatives of every kind.