The patron saint of Carpi is Saint Bernardine of Siena, honoured for about five hundred years with the Sagra di San Bernardino, held around 20 May. The patronal church of San Bernardino da Siena is dedicated to him, holding inside a notable chapel frescoed by Bernardino Loschi and Vincenzo Catena.
Carpi was, from 1336 to 1527, the seat of the Signoria of the Pio family, who maintained close ties with the duchies of Mantua and the Signoria of Mirandola and spurred an artistic and architectural revival of the town: their castle, now known as Palazzo dei Pio, still dominates the town centre today. Among Carpi's traditions is also the Sagra dell'Assunta, celebrated since 1516 every 15 August with a procession dedicated to the titular saint of the cathedral basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, the town's duomo, whose construction, begun in the 16th century, was completed three centuries later: badly damaged by the 2012 Emilia earthquake, the cathedral only reopened for worship in 2017 after lengthy restoration works. Another traditional celebration is the Sagra dell'Invenzione della Santa Croce, held every year at the sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Aiuto, in the hamlet of Santa Croce.
