43 - Church of Saint Valentine

Mid-12th Century

Audio Guide Transcript

Just outside the city walls stands the small Church of Saint Valentine—one of the oldest surviving churches in Bitonto. Built around the mid-12th century, it was dedicated to Saint Valentine under the patronage of the Cathedral Chapter, which owned the church for many centuries.

Its architectural layout closely mirrors that of the convent church of Saint Lucy, to which it is contemporary.

The church became a Benedictine priory and then passed into the hands of the Angevins. Subsequently, it was entrusted to the Knights Templar, who in 1549 transferred it back to the Cathedral Chapter of Bitonto. According to tradition, this is where the bishops of Bitonto would don their pontifical vestments before formally entering the city and taking possession of the episcopal throne.

Following medieval liturgical orientation, the church has a single nave and an apse facing east. The interior comprises two square bays, each covered by a hemispherical dome. On the outside, these domes are capped with distinctive pyramidal structures clad in thin stone slabs—a construction technique typical of the period.

The modest yet evocative facade features a Romanesque portal crowned by a carved archivolt and a small circular window that filters light into the interior. On the southern side stands a truncated tower, now used as a sacristy.

In 1940, the church underwent a major restoration, which preserved its original character and returned it to the city as a precious example of medieval architecture.

Use the map to explore

1 - Gentile’s Palace

2 - Church of Saint Francis of Paola

3 - De Marinis Palace

4 - Ventafridda Palace

5 - Chapel of Saint Matthew

6 - Pannone–Ferrara Palace

7 - Tommaso Traetta Theater

8 - Angevin Tower

9 - De Ferraris–Regna Palace

10 - Church of Saint Gaetano

11 - Sylos–Calò Palace

12 - Girolamo and Rosaria Devanna National Gallery

13 - Church of the Souls in Purgatory

14 - Scaraggi–Labini Palace

15 - Santorelli Palace

16 - Church of Saint Francis of Assisi

17 - Convent and Cloister of Saint Francis of Assisi

18 - Diocesan Museum and Hanging Gardens

19 - Bove Chapel – Saint Mary of Compassion

20 - Bove Palace

21 - Chapel of Saint Anne and the Council Hall of the Nobles

22 - Rogadeo Palace

23 - Planelli–Sylos Palace

24 - Vulpano–Sylos Palace

25 - Bove–Planelli–Tèrmite Palace

26 - Church of Saint Dominic

27 - Chapel of the Mysteries

28 - Gentile – Labini – Sylos Palace

29 - Church of Saint Teresa

30 - Carmine Sylos Classical High School

31 - Old Church of Saint Leucius

32 - Franco–Spinelli–Regna Palace

33 - Giannone–Alitti Palace

34 - Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary

35 - Crypt of the Cathedral

36 - Early Christian Substructure of the Cathedral

37 - Church of Saint Nicholas of the Hospital

38 - De Lerma Palace

39 - Church of Saint Sylvester

40 - Monastery of Saint Mary of the Virgins

41 - Barone – Gentile – Sisto Palace

42 - Albuquerque Palace

43 - Church of Saint Valentine

44 - Church of Saint Catherine of Alexandria

45 - Francesco Spinelli School of Drawing

46 - Cioffrese Palace

47 - Chapel of the De Ìlderis Family and Agèra Gallery

48 - Battle Academy Museum

49 - Church and Cloister of Saint Peter the New

50 - Sylos–Sersale Palace

51 - Church of Saint George

52 - “Spazi della Memoria” Museum

53 - Church of the Annunciation

54 - “De Palo – Ungaro” Archaeological Museum

55 - Nicola Fornelli School Building

56 - Church of Saint Vitus

57 - Convent of Saint Leo the Great

58 - Church of the Crucifix

59 - Church of Mary Most Holy of the Immaculate Conception

60 - Church of Our Lady of Sorrows

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