The Church of San Giacomo Apostolo is one of the oldest churches in the village of Altomonte. It is mentioned in the document ‘Charta venditionis’ dated December 1182, drawn up by a certain Leone, priest and registrar of the town. Over the centuries, the sacred building has undergone several transformations that have profoundly altered its original appearance.
Today, the church has a single nave, flanked by side chapels that open through large arches, on the surface of which decorative stuccoes were created in 1713 by the decorators Innocenzo Sassone and Raffaele Morelli.
In the flat-arched presbytery, the lower part of the ancient 18th-century altar, originally located in the Dominican church of Santa Maria della Consolazione, has been installed. The altar, consisting of a table supported by massive corbels and a two-step altarpiece with a central tabernacle, is characterised by 17th-century-influenced marble decorative motifs, widely used by Neapolitan artists and later developed in southern Italy.
The exterior of the building is characterised by the portal, in evident late Baroque style, which features several relief cymatia and particularly beautiful plant motifs that give it an elegant appearance and a distinctive upward thrust.