| The cathedral of Andria was founded in the late eleventh century by Count of Andria Goffredo d'Altavilla in the site of an earlier church dedicated to St. Peter's, which today corresponds to the crypt of the building. The Norman part corresponds to the current sanctuary with the choir dates from the fifteenth century, a remake of the area comprising the three longitudinal naves and ten side chapels. During the eighteenth century the Romanesque interior was covered with a coat of stucco, then removed during the last century. A neo-classical facade was later built in 1844 by the architect Federico Santacroce; this remained only the lower part, with the existing porch and three inputs, since the upper one, with a gabled compartment, was removed for static problems in the 60s of last century, and was replaced by a simple wall with Romanesque central rose window, mullioned windows on the sides, a lofty front interrupted.
The Romanesque bell tower also dates back to Norman times and reused as base a tower of the Lombard period (eighth century).
The interior of the cathedral has three naves divided by columns and Romanesque arches, transept (where is a fine wooden roof) and ten side chapels full of works of art. In addition to these there are the two most important chapels: in the left transept there is the big chapel of St. Richard, patron saint of the city (late fifteenth century) decorated with sixteen panels and ten bas-reliefs made of local stone with all the miracles attributed the saint on the right of the presbytery is the chapel of the "holy thorn", a relic gifted to the cathedral by Beatrice d'Anjou in 1308, the day of her marriage to the Duke of Beltrando Dodge. The crypt has two aisles, vaults and a semicircular apse at the centre of which stands an altar. To the right and left of the crypt are the tombs of the two empresses wives of Frederick II, Jolanda of Brienne and Isabella of England.
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