The first foundation of a church on this site goes back to ancient times. An Ecclesia S. Petri de Castanea is mentioned in the Papal Bull of Pope Leone IV to the Bishop Virobono di Tuscania, a document which contains a precise and scrupulous definition of the boundaries of the diocese, as a cell depending from the Benedictine abbey of Farfa in Sabina.
The medieval church, founded on XIIIth century, had a series of restoration between 1737 and 1758 under the direction of the architect Nicola Salvi, it survived the bombings of World War II but suffered serious damages, then it became a prison until 1993 when new restoration works started under the direction of the Università degli studi della Tuscia di Viterbo. From 1996 the complex hosted the Rectorate of the University and the Facoltà di Lingue e Letterature straniere moderne(Department of Literature and Language.
A piece of parchment paper shows a purchase dating back to 1076, testifying the origins of the small church of S. Maria del Poggio. The body of Santa Rosa was first buried here and was later transferred to the sanctuary dedicated to her.
After the barbaric invasions, the village of Vico Quinzano formed in the area where the church now stands (nowadays known as Porta Romana). Around the IX century it boasted a church which had probably been built on the ruins of a previous shrine.
The Churc of Saint Angelo in Spatha took its name from the Spatha family which had its patronage in 1045 through their ancestor Giovanni.; the first mention of it dates back to the XI century when, in 1092 it was erected in a collegiate by Riccardo, Bishop of Tuscania.
