San Michele Arcangelo is a Romanesque-style,

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

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 is situated in the valley of the Ombrone river, at 66 meters above sea level. In 2011 it had a p ...

Province of Grosseto The province of Grosseto () is a Provinces of Italy, 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 Grosseto completely ...

, region of

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, Italy.

History

This church was commissioned by the monastic order of the

Umiliati The Humiliati (Italian ) 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 the order 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 (; – after 9 August 1348) 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 or Council Ro ...

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

, 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 Buildings and structures completed in 1345 Churches completed in the 1340s