| The church of S. Maria of Porta Santa was founded in the thirteenth century, after the overthrow of the "Holy Door" in the city. The church was flanked by two admissions, the "Hospital of Mercy" and "Hospital of S. Richard." The church was dedicated to s. Peter and s. Richard, in honor of which were erected two altars, and noble citizens Andria we established the Confraternity of s. Mary of the Annunciation. In 1516 the temple was enlarged and restored the façade. This is composed of an upper part, the drum of the octagonal time of the first bay, with a ceiling rose to eight columns. The lower one has a Renaissance portal characterized by two pairs of pilasters, capitals with floral decoration, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic and a simple entablature surmounted by a pediment. Inside the church has a single nave covered by two times with an octagonal ribbed, divided by an arch supported by two half-pillars made of stone. The first span is older, while the second span and sometimes in late Gothic style should go back to the fourteenth century.
In the first bay there is a Baroque stone altar of 1644, flanked by two twisted columns in which are carved scenes from the Passion and Death of Christ; it is dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows and framing a bill of Renaissance fresco depicting the Virgin Mary nursing the baby. Around the image, there are bands of stone richly carved in low relief with anthropomorphic motifs, animals, plants and geometric motifs.
In the second bay to your left, there is an altar of the Renaissance style dedicated to the Assumption, with a statue in its niche. To the right is an altar dedicated to St. Antonio, enriched with Renaissance decorations and surmounted by the emblem of the town of Andria accompanied by a Latin engraving dated 1573. The entrance is surmounted by a choir of the sixteenth century. To the right is a holy water font from the first church building in the inner surface that presents a group of four headless lions in the round and four fish, allegorical symbols in Christian iconography.
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