The church of S. Maria in Monterone, mentioned in 1186 as belonging to S. Lorenzo in Damaso, has undergone several transformations over the centuries. Its origins remain obscure but it was a collegiate church in the 13th century. Renovated in the 17th and 18th centuries, the church retained its three naves divided by eight columns on each side; the Baroque vaults were then removed in 1848. The bell tower is no longer preserved, but the façade and part of the clerestory are medieval. The ancient basilica, probably built in the 12th century, was characterised by columns with spolia capitals, a common element in basilicas of the time. The long column shafts together with the Ionic capitals suggest that the church was originally a colonnaded basilica with architrave, built in the 1230s or 1240s. The construction of a new ciborium in 1241/45 and the possible updating of the complete liturgical furnishings at that time are only documented in late 17th-century sources.

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