The main patron of Castrovillari and of the people of the Pollino is Santa Maria del Castello, commonly known as the Madonna del Castello, solemnly celebrated on 1 May every year.
Her minor pontifical basilica stands in the town's historic centre, on a small hill rising to 350 metres that also serves as a natural terrace overlooking the Pollino mountain range: the devotion, tied to a legendary tradition and to the votive cult of a precious miraculous image found and kept inside, culminates every year in a solemn pontifical mass presided over by the bishop of Cassano allo Ionio, preceded by nine days of preaching, and in the handover of the city keys by the mayor and authorities, accompanied by the town's banner. Castrovillari is also known for the Carnevale del Pollino, attested since at least 1635 and renamed the Carnevale di Castrovillari in 2006.
