Santi Bartolomeo e Stefano, Renaissance Catholic church in Bergamo, Italy

Santi Bartolomeo e Stefano is a Baroque church at number 1 Largo Belotti in Bergamo, with a single nave flanked by five chapels on each side and a raised presbytery ending in a semi-octagonal apse. Its neoclassical facade of 1897, designed by Giovanni Cuminetti, has an Ionic-columned portico and a lunette by Luigi Galizzi showing Mary giving the Rosary to Saint Dominic with Saint Catherine of Siena.

An earlier religious building once stood on this site before being replaced in the early 1600s by a new structure designed by architect Antonio Maria Caneva. The project took roughly two decades to complete and reflects the architectural ideas that were emerging in northern Italy at that time.

The church is named after two saints, Bartholomew and Stephen, whose veneration shaped the religious life of medieval Bergamo. Inside, paintings and frescoes depicting scenes from their lives line the walls and fill the vaults, giving the space a clear devotional character that visitors can still feel today.

The church sits in the lower city of Bergamo, within easy walking distance of the main squares and public buildings nearby. Inside, the lighting makes it possible to see the paintings and architectural details without difficulty, so taking your time in each section helps.

The 1897 neoclassical facade by Giovanni Cuminetti holds two niche statues by Giovanni Avogadri: Saint Francis and Saint Dominic, not four virtues. Above the door, Luigi Galizzi frescoed Mary giving the Rosary to Saint Dominic with Saint Catherine of Siena.