San Michele Arcangelo is a Romanesque-style,

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church located on Piazza della Vittoria #4 in the town of

Paganico Paganico is a village in the province of Grosseto, in southern Tuscany, central Italy. It is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Civitella Paganico. It lies in the valley of the Ombrone river, at 66 meters above the sea level. In 2011 it had a popu ...

Province of Grosseto The province of Grosseto ( it, links=no, provincia di Grosseto) is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Grosseto. As of 2013 the province had a total population of 225,098 people. Geography The Province of Gros ...

, region of

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

, Italy.

History

This church was commissioned by the monastic order of the

Umiliati The Humiliati (Italian ''Umiliati'') were an Italian religious order of men formed probably in the 12th century. It was suppressed by a papal bull in 1571 though an associated order of women continued into the 20th century. Origin The origin of ...

, who built this church between 1297 and 1345, next to a former convent. The dedication suggests an earlier Lombard church was present at the site. The rectangular building with a single nave has undergone a number of reconstructions. The interiors contain frescoes completed in 1368 by Biagio di Goro Ghezzi, depicting the ''Story of St Michael'', the ''Annunciation'', and the ''Nativity''. In addition, there are allegorical depictions of the four evangelists and portraits of Saints. The style recalls the influence of

Ambrogio Lorenzetti Ambrogio Lorenzetti (; – 9 June 1348) or Ambruogio Laurati was an Italian painter of the Sienese school. He was active from approximately 1317 to 1348. He painted ''The Allegory of Good and Bad Government'' in the Sala dei Nove (Salon of Nine ...

. The main altarpiece depicts an ''Enthroned Madonna and Saints'' by

Guidoccio Cozzarelli Guidoccio Cozzarelli (1450–1517) was an Italian Renaissance painter and miniaturist. Cozzarelli was born in Siena, and was a student and collaborator of Matteo di Giovanni, with whom it is sometimes possible to confuse him due to their simil ...

. The altar has a wooden ciborium sculpted by

Bartolomeo Neroni Bartolomeo Neroni, also known as Il Riccio or Riccio Sanese (c.1505-1571) was an Italian painter, sculptor, architect and engineer of the Sienese School. He was born and died in Siena. Biography Neroni was influenced by Domenico Beccafumi a ...

, also called “il Riccio”. The church houses a polychrome wooden crucifix.Turismo in Toscana
entry on church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Michele Arcangelo Paganico Churches in the province of Grosseto Romanesque architecture in Tuscany 13th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Churches completed in 1345