The Church, whose origins may be traced back to many centuries ago, initially belonged to the Order of Saint Benedict. After housing a group of nuns in the 13th century, in 1516 the church was demolished to be replaced by a bigger building designed by Andrea da Formigine, who built the portico and enriched it with fine decorations (now damaged).
At the end of the 16th century it was given to the Theatines who had the church rebuilt by G. Battista Natali and Agostino Barelli: a new bell tower and a new dome were added to the original building and after that, the monks decided to rename it after the founder of their order, thus giving the church a new title: San Bartolomeo (the original name) and San Gaetano Thiene (their founder). Inside the church, many paintings by Lodovico Carracci, Guido Reni and others may be found. Furthermore, next to the high altar there is little chapel where the Bolognese mystic Prudenziana Zagnoni was buried.