The Church of St. Peter Apostle in Ardea is one of the oldest Romanic monuments in the Ardeatine area. It was built in three identifiable phases, between the mid 9th and the end of the 16th century.
The main body of the Romanic building, including the central pillars and part of the side vault, dates to between the 9th and 12 centuries, and was built on the foundations of a previous ancient temple.
In the early 13th century, the church was made bigger and embellished with architectural and artistic elements, including the stunted, square bell tower which was originally a lookout post for Saracen ships.
The third building phase dates to 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, contemporary to the advent of the feudal lords (Orsini, Colonna, Caffarelli, Cesarini, Sforza Cesarini). The building became a baronial church, undergoing radical architectural changes.
Despite the crumbling of the belltower and the right nave, which took place in the 16th century, the Church has conserved a sober architectural line that is visible today.