SANTUARIO SAN MICHELE
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Sanctuary with two museums: Museo Devozionale, Museo Lapidario
The history of this building, with its rich architecture, is linked to three apparitions of Saint Michael that are said to have taken place between 490 and 493 AD in a cave. Above it, the Bishop of Siponto, San Lorenzo Maiorano, founded the first sanctuary, which gained prestige over the centuries, thanks in particular to the particular devotion that the Lombards had to the archangel. The present town developed from the structures set up to welcome the numerous pilgrims.
In a style of Roman-Gothic transition, the sanctuary has suffered much destruction, but is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its present entrance was designed by Charles I of Anjou and his son, Charles II. At the end of the long staircase is a very beautiful bronze Byzantine gate, giving access to the cave where Saint Michael is said to have first appeared. The nave, which dates from the second half of the 13th century, is in Gothic style. Like the octagonal bell tower, it was built by the architects Giordano and Maraldo. The white marble statue of St Michael was sculpted by Andrea Contucci (1507). Among other elements of the sanctuary worthy of attention are the precious statue of the Archangel, the 12th-century episcopal see, the silver cross of Frederick II, the tomb of Rotharis and, finally, the 11th-century Romanesque portal.
The sanctuary also houses two museums, the Museo Devozionale and the Museo Lapidario, housed in the crypts of the Lombards (7th and 8th centuries).
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Members' reviews on SANTUARIO SAN MICHELE
1er lieu de l’apparition angélique formant une ligne avec Le Mont St Michel en France et passant par le Mont St Michel de Turin, c'est assez impressionnant !