S. Michele Maggiore Church

Beautiful romanic church in the heart of Pavia. It's worth to pay it a visit.

Worth a visit. Well laid out tourist route with explanations in Italian only (you can get by). Highlight is the 10 century, silver covered wooden crucifix. In and out in 25 minutes. Free.

Wonderful lombardic-roman basilica, San Michele Maggiore stands here since 1100 and is today recognized as one of the most impressive churces of the Longobardic period.

It is a very beautiful place to see. One of oldest building in pavia.

The church is impressive. The old sandstone of the façade is impressive. I found the inside less taken care of as it used to be. Especially the crypt. No light to the stone steps to go down. Dark the inside, sloppy the cloth on the altar. I was so surprised, I use to come here when I am near Pavia. San Michele was probably my favourite church... I was really deluded!

Stunning architecture, makes one feel small and insignificant. Amazing frescos and lots of history everywhere.

Very nice from the outside, but could not make it to the inside due to a funeral that was taking place there.

San Michele Maggiore can be considered the prototype of other important medieval churches in Pavia such as San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro and San Teodoro. However, it differentiates from latter in the use of sandstone instead of bricks, and for the Latin cross plan with a nave and two aisles and a much extended transept. San Michele's transept, provided with a true façade, a false apse and a barrel vault different from the rest of the church, constitutes a nearly independent section of the edifice. Also its length (38 m, compared to the 55 m of the whole basilica), contributes to this impression. At the crossing of nave and transept is the octagonal dome, a 30 m-high asymmetrical structure supported on squinches, in the Lombard-Romanesque style. It is reportedly the earliest example of this form in Lombardy. The façade is decorated by numerous sandstone sculptures, of religious or profane themes; they are however now much deteriorated. The façade has five double and two single mullioned windows and a cross, which are a 19th-century reconstruction of what was thought be the original scheme. Bas reliefs in horizontal bands portray human, animal and fantastic figures. Over the minor portals are portrayed St. Ennodius, bishop of Pavia, and St. Eleucadius, archbishop of Ravenna. In the lunettes are angels which, according to a caption sculpted there, have the role of ambassadors of the faithful's words into heaven.Bronze doors, coloured mosaics, geometric designs, bronze pilasters The nave has four spans. The aisles have matronaea with statical function. The four chapels in correspondence of the second and four spans of the aisles are a later addition. under the apse, which has a large 16th-century fresco, is the high altar (1383) housing the remains of Sts. Ennodius and Eleucadius. The presbytery has fragments of a notable pavement mosaic with the Labours of the Months and mythological themes. The crypt, with a nave and two aisles, is located immediately under the altar: it houses beautifully decorated capitals and the monument of the Blessed Martino Salimbene (1491).