Santa Maria alle Pertiche, Religious structure in Pavia, Italy

Santa Maria alle Pertiche was a church in Pavia with a circular plan around a central space ringed by six columns, and a tall dome above it. The central body was unusually slender compared with round-plan churches such as San Vitale in Ravenna. An 18th-century engraving shows the building shortly before demolition, much altered, with a high dome on six columns, an ambulatory, a large presbytery and a long entrance corridor.

Queen Rodelinda, wife of Lombard King Pertarito, founded this church in 677 outside the city walls of Pavia. It was built during the period when Lombard nobility established important religious structures across their territories.

The name refers to the perticae, poles topped with bird images of pagan origin that stood in the Lombard burial ground over which the church was built, an example of religious syncretism. Royal coronations took place here, such as that of Hildebrand in 735, and Queen Ragintruda, wife of Hildebrand, was buried in the church.

Two original columns from the church are now displayed in the Civic Museum of Pavia, while additional columns decorate the Porta Milano city gate. To understand the original architecture, visiting the museum is helpful since the remains are shown with explanatory materials.

Leonardo da Vinci sketched this church's layout in his Atlantic Codex during his time in Pavia around 1490. These drawings represent one of his lesser-known architectural studies and reveal his interest in classical design principles.