In 1557, the church was struck by a flood of the Tiber River, which caused the collapse of the right wing of the building. On that occasion, the force of the waters swept away the medieval ciborium. Due to the flooding, the pope decided to transfer the relics of the saints, which had been kept in the church up to that point, to the Vatican, where they remained for three years. The four porphyry columns of the fallen ciborium were also taken to the Vatican and are now preserved in the Vatican Museums. Shortly afterward, a phase of restoration and reconstruction began. The Vatican archives contain records from the San Bartolomeo all’Isola workshop related to the 1583 restorations (Armellini, Le chiese di Roma, p. 621).
**Description:** Beneath the high altar, in a porphyry basin, lies the body of Saint Bartholomew. In addition to this church, his relics are scattered across various European churches. In 1238, the relic of his skull was taken to the cathedral of Frankfurt am Main. Others are housed in the Carthusian monastery of Cologne and the monastery of Lüne, near Lüneburg. St. Edward donated part of an arm to Canterbury Cathedral. Others are found in France. In Italy, the city of Pisa claimed possession of a portion of his skin.
**Entry into use:** Year 1000
**Relic:** Bones
Around the year 1000, the relics of Saint Bartholomew’s body were brought to Rome by Otto III and are preserved in the ancient porphyry basin of the high altar of the church. In 546, the relics were recorded in Lipari, and in 838, in Benevento. The city of Benevento, which has always maintained that it gave Otto III a different body, claims possession of his remains, kept in the church dedicated to him.
In Rome, due to a Tiber flood in 1557, the remains were moved to St. Peter’s in the Vatican. In 1560, Pius IV had them returned to Tiber Island in a solemn procession. Following damage to the church caused by the French in 1798, some of his relics were taken to Santa Maria in Trastevere. In this basilica, on Low Sunday, a notable relic of his was displayed. According to the 1870 inventory, part of his head was exhibited at Santa Prassede on Easter Sunday. On May 1st and August 24th, part of an arm was displayed at the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles (Diario Romano, 1926).
Inside the Orsini Chapel, on the left side of the transept, a cannonball is embedded in the left wall—a relic from the French siege of Rome in June 1849. On that occasion, the church was filled with faithful, but the cannonball injured no one. Since then, the ball, preserved in the exact spot where it fell, has been called the “miracle cannonball.”
In the past, on the feast of Saint Bartholomew (August 24th), watermelon vendors would throw fruits into the water, and local boys would dive into the Tiber to retrieve them. This distinctive tradition of the Ripa district, tied to its most important feast day, ended in 1870 when Rome became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy.
Under the portico, two plaques commemorate the granting of plenary indulgences for the souls in Purgatory.
In the 12th century, the church came under the jurisdiction of the Roman diocese.
Leo IX granted the church to the Bishop of Porto.
The church served as the residence of the Bishop of Silva Candida, granted by John XIX to Bishop Peter of that diocese in 1026 (cfr. Di Carpegna, Il clero di Roma, p. 107).
Tiber Island, 00186 Rome, Italy
