San Bartolomeo all' Isola

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Church of San Bartolomeo all' Isola, Rome
San Bartolomeo all' Isola
The church of San Bartolomeo all' Isola, which was founded in the 10th century, stands on the site of an ancient temple to Aesculapius (293 BCE).  The church was built by the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III (r. 996-1002) to honour his friend St Adalbert, Bishop of Prague. The bell tower was added in 1113.

San Bartolomeo all' Isola was restored in 1624 by the Roman architect Orazio Torriani (1602-57). The inscription on the facade reads: IN HAC BASILICA REQVIESCAT CORPVS S BARTHOLOMAEI APOSTOLI (In this basilica rests the body of St Bartholomew the Apostle).
Nave, Church of San Bartolomeo all' Isola, Rome
Nave
The nave is flanked by 14 antique columns. A porphyry basin from the Baths of Caracalla serves as both the high altar and a reliquary for the (putative) bones of St Bartholomew. 

The finely carved coffered ceiling dates back to 1624, but the three panels were repainted in 1865. ​
Interior of church of San Bartolomeo all' Isola, Rome
Sanctuary
The transept and sanctuary are one architectural space, and have a raised floor level because of the crypt underneath. You go up to the main altar via six steps, which have a short balustrade on either side at the top. In the middle of the second step is a 11th century well-head.

The well is over 10 metres deep and dates back to the early Republic, when the Temple of Aesculapius was built. 
Medieval well-head, church of San Bartolomeo all' Isola, Rome
Well-head
The well-head is decorated with four figures: Christ holding an open book, a bishop, the emperor Otto III holding a disc with an image of the church, and St Bartholomew holding a book and the knife used to flay him. Letters above the figures form an inscription that reads: OS PUTEI SANCTI CIRCUMDANT ORBE ROTANTI (The saints surround the mouth of the well as the orb rotates).