Santa Sofia Church was built by the Lombards in 760 and was modeled after a mosque in Constantinople. It has an unusual hexagon form with an ancient pillar, some from a Roman temple of Isis, at each vertex. The inner hexagon has eight limestone pillars. The church was decorated with mosaics, customary of Lombard churches at the time, such as the ones found in Ravenna (see Ravenna mosaic pictures). Some mosaics and frescoes remain.
Santa Sofia was almost destroyed in the 1688 earthquake and was rebuilt in Baroque style. In 1951 it was restored to what is believed to be the original style although the altar was originally in the center of the church.
The 12th century cloister has a museum with artifacts from ancient times through the middle ages.
In front of the church, in Piazza Santa Sofia, are an obelisk and Chiaromonte fountain. Remains of an older church, probably from Roman times, have been found under the piazza.