Santa Maria in Betlem, Romanesque church in Borgo district, Pavia, Italy.

Santa Maria in Betlem is a church with three naves and a central dome that brings light into the interior space. The sandstone facade is decorated with blind arcades and features a carefully crafted entrance portal.

The building was constructed in 1130 and replaced an earlier structure from the Carolingian period. Traces of the original structure remain accessible today through a trapdoor in the floor.

The church served as a gathering place where different groups could practice their own devotions, with each chapel and altar arranged to suit specific religious purposes. The interior fittings show what local worshippers valued and how their religious life developed over time.

The church stands in the Borgo district on the far bank of the Ticino, reached by crossing the Ponte Coperto from Pavia's centre. The 17th-century portico of the former Oltreticino Hospital remains along the right side of the building. The perimeter of the earlier Carolingian church is traced on the floor inside, and the remains below are reached through a trap door.

The facade displays Arab and Byzantine ceramic plates from the 12th century, which reveal how medieval Pavia connected to distant trade routes. These decorative elements show the kind of exotic goods that arrived in the city during that era.