The beautiful church dedicated to Sant’Andrea and San Bartolomeo stands in one of the city’s main squares, Piazza Repubblica, next to the Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall).
The building in its present form is the result of numerous alterations over the centuries. The Romanesque forms suggest construction in the 11th century, with a monumental red marble entrance portal added by Vito di Marco da Siena in the 16th century. The sculptural figures of the portal lunette and the stained glass in the elegant central rose window are attributable to more recent interventions carried out between 1926-30. The characteristic bell tower, in tuff, built on a 12-sided plan with three rows of mullioned windows and a crenelated cornice is also from the same period.
On the opposite side of the facade, to the left of the observer, the structure is embellished by an airy loggia, leaning against the church wall.
Internally, the building is divided into three large naves, separated by giant columns with a raised presbytery and a beautiful four-sided apse. The Church played an important role in the city starting in ancient times, becoming the seat of important ceremonies such as the appointment of Pope Martin IV and cardinals of the calibre of Nicolas IV and Boniface VIII. The works of art inside date back to different periods and styles: from the 14th-century frescoes to the 14th-century sepulchral shrine, the Cosmatesque pulpit and works by artists such as Nebbia and his pupil Angelo Righi from Orvieto.
The outstanding significance of this building can be found in its underground part, which can be visited with a guide, displaying ancient remains attributable to four different periods: from the first phase of the Bronze Age to the Villanovan and Etruscan periods of the 6th century BC, and up to the most recent Roman and Christian periods.