The 17th-century convent of San Carlo Borromeo in Cave is built on the ruins of an imperial Roman villa.
Although the church had been dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi and San Carlo Borromeo, it was always known by the name of San Carlo, for the will of Prince Filippo Colonna, who was the grandson of the saint.
The complex was begun in 1616, inaugurated in 1640 and consecrated in 1729.
The facade of the Church has two levels: the first one has a Doric style with the marble portal and two niches to hold the statues of St. Francis and St. Charles. The second has a simpler ionic style and is built in brick. The bell tower was built by Giuseppe Giorgioli at the end of the sixteenth century.
The church has a Latin cross plan with a single nave with three chapels and a dome at the crossing of the transept.
In the dome are painted the glorification of the Saints, while in the apse are depicted the cardinal Virtues and a canvas with 'Approvazione della Regola'. The main altar is decorated with polychrome marble and with 2 pairs of columns near a splendid wooden crucifix of the fifteenth century.
In the church there are also the relics of San Clemente and Sant'Euplee, which is located in a glass urn and gold covered wood.
The cloister of the convent was begun in 1616 in Tuscan architectural style and features cross vaults of over twenty meters that are located around the central space.
The cloister is one of Cave's social life centres and hosts many events
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