It was built on the site of the old Visigothic parish church from the 5th century. A human grave and a flat stone at its head, with the incised Chrismon XP, together with other remains and ancient walls, discovered during restoration works in 1976, bear witness to this.The Marquis of Villena and Master of the Order of Santiago, Don Juan Pacheco (1419-1474), had almost the entire church of Belmonte rebuilt and rebuilt from the foundations. At his request, Pope Pius II (pontificate, 19 August 1458 to 14 August 1464) erected the Parish of Belmonte as a Collegiate Church in 1459, so that it would be worthy of the glory of God and of Blessed Saint Bartholomew to whom it is dedicated, according to the Bull of the Council of Basel in 1436. This meant that there was a Chapter, presided over by the Prior, reaching 32 between canons and prebendaries who composed it. His works continued throughout the following four centuries.