S. ANDREA APOSTOLO CHURCH

Walking along Via Porta Dipinta in the Upper Town, you will notice an imposing structure with a simple facade: this is the Church of S. Andrea Apostolo. 

The church was built starting in 1837 on the remains of a cemetery basilica, through a radical intervention designed by architect F. Crivelli, which envisaged a structure in full neoclassical style. Of the façade, however, only the three portals were completed, architraved with a linear and slightly molded cornice, with two scroll brackets supporting the cornice above the architrave.

The interior of the building has three naves, separated by half-columns with Corinthian-style capitals. The dome, which can be seen from the nave, was painted with a trompe-l'oeil coffered effect.

St. Andrew the Apostle is famous for the remarkable paintings preserved inside, which belonged to the earlier church. Among the names of the artists who decorated it are Salmeggia ("Natività adorata dai pastori"), Bassano (Pala di San Donnino), Padovanino (Trittico di Sant'Andrea), Moretto da Brescia ( "Madonna in trono col Bambino tra i santi Eusebia, Andrea, Domnione e Domnone") and Jacopo Palma il Giovane ("Natività adorata dai pastori") to name but a few.

The church also features a Museo Storico e di Arte Sacra (Museum of History and Sacred Art) (as of 2021), as well as the premises of the  Centro Universitario S. Andrea University Center with the "James A. Podboy" library.

The underground rooms of its crypt are also home to the Teatro S. Andrea, an early version of which was built in 1951 as a kineteater complete with stage, wings, curtain plus a film projection booth. Since 2018 it has been managed and progressively restored by the Centro Universitario Teatrale di Bergamo, which has made it the home of the acting school and student association CUT Bergamo, as well as prestigious shows and musical performances.