The church of San Martino is a small harmonious and well-balanced building, set gracefully inside a delightful medieval district of Spello, in the historic centre. It was probably founded between the 11th and the 12th century by the inhabitants of the neighbourhood of Pusterula in honour of the bishop of Tours, even though the earliest mention of the church is much later, around 1333-34. The building, one of the ‘poor’ churches of Spello, is believed to have been built in two distinct phases: the first between the end of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century, to which we owe the architectural layout of the church, based on a Romanesque model, with a gabled and pitched roof.
During the second stage, the belfry was moved, while it was originally a bell gable on the facade, while today it stands in the apse area. The roof was also rebuilt and three internal transversal arches were erected, remodelled in the 20th century.
Today the church is closed, except for some ceremonies or exhibitions by local artists. It presents a simple facade in local white stone and an entrance door crowned by two arched lintels, one white and one red; in the upper part there is a mullioned window with a lily-shaped capital. The floor plan is rectangular and inside the walls, which slant outwardly towards the bottom, create an impression of added depth. At the bottom is the apse, with an altar recomposed in 1971 using archaeological finds and original parts, and behind it is the small door to the sacristy.
The pictorial decoration has been severely damaged: in a niche on the left there is a fresco depicting San Martino giving his cloak to the poor and above a detached fresco depicting San Sebastiano, both from the 15th century. Below is the tombstone by Gaetano Franceschini, who chose San Martino as his burial place.