Santa Sofia is a small but remarkable church in Benevento's historic centre, built in the 8th century by the Lombard duke Arechis II and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the "Longobards in Italy: Places of Power" group. The church has an unusual elongated polygonal plan — a six-pointed arrangement of columns supporting a low dome — which reflects the Lombard ambition to match Byzantine sophistication in their southern Italian stronghold.
The interior is spare and dim, the whitewashed walls contrasting with the ring of ancient columns (some Roman spolia, some purpose-cut) and the Romanesque frescoes that survive in patches. Attached to the church is the 12th-century Benedictine cloister that now houses the Museo del Sannio — the two are best visited together. Entry to the church is free.