San Michele Maggiore.
The church of San Michele Maggiore is the most interesting building in Pavia for those who are interested in political history. The church was closely associated with the Longobard Kingdom (568-774) and its successor, the Kingdom of Italy, which in the tenth century became part of the Holy Roman Empire. According to tradition Kings of Italy were crowned in this church. In the nave of the church five circular stones mark the spot where the throne used in the coronation ceremony was placed. Note that this crown, the so-called Corona Ferrea (Iron Crown), is not kept in the church. People who want to see it have to visit the Duomo of Monza and book a guided tour of the Cappella di Teodolinda. In the nineteenth century an image of the crown was added to the central stone, as was an explanatory text in Latin.
History
The church was probably founded in the seventh century, possibly during the reign of the Longobard king Grimoald I (662-671). San Michele was closely associated with the royal palace and was considered the templum regium or royal church. The dedication of the church to Saint Michael the Archangel is not surprising: the archangel was one of the most popular saints among the Longobards. The church was co-dedicated to Saint Eleucadius, a legendary bishop of Ravenna in the second century (see Ravenna: Sant’Apollinare in Classe), and to Saint Ennodius, bishop of Pavia between ca. 514 and 521. After a fire in 1004 the church was rebuilt in the eleventh century in the Romanesque style. Around 1130 the rebuilding was complete and in 1489 the present cross-vaults were added to the interior. Nowadays we still see a beautiful Romanesque basilica with a conspicuous ochre hut-shaped façade. The façade is made of sandstone, pietra arenaria in Italian, from the region of Oltrepò Pavese.
Portal of the church, with twice Saint Michael the Archangel.
In spite of a deeply rooted tradition, it is fairly certain that by no means all Kings of Italy were crowned in this building. Although some travel guides claim otherwise, there is for instance no evidence that the Frankish king Charlemagne (768-814) was crowned King of the Longobards in San Michele Maggiore. The coronation of Charles V in the sixteenth century took place in Bologna, while in the early nineteenth century Napoleon Bonaparte chose the Duomo of Milan as the venue for his coronation. Among the monarchs of whom we can be certain that they received their crown in this church is Berengarius, a great-grandson of Charlemagne, crowned in 888. The future Holy Roman Emperors Henry II the Saint, King of Italy between 1004 and 1024, and Frederick Barbarossa, King of Italy between 1155 and 1190, were also granted their crowns in San Michele Maggiore.
Things to see
The façade of the San Michele Maggiore bears a close resemblance to that of the San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro elsewhere in Pavia. We also see clear traces of erosion of the vulnerable sandstone, but that does not diminish the beauty of the façade. The lunette above the central entrance has a relief of Saint Michael the Archangel. Above it there is a second relief, made of limestone, featuring the same archangel trampling a dragon. The statues above the two smaller entrances represent the aforementioned bishops Eleucadius and Ennodius, while the capitals of the three portals have been embellished with beautifully sculpted figures, including angels, saints and fantasy creatures such as dragons, hippogriffs and a two-tailed siren (sirena bicaudata).
Romanesque decorations of the façade.
Romanesque decorations of the façade.
More beautiful capitals can be found in the crypt of the church, the oldest part of the building. Most probably date from the twelfth century, but it cannot be ruled out that some are from the predecessor of the San Michele, which was lost in 1004. An object that certainly dates from the tenth century, and that is therefore older than the current church, is a crucifix in the left transept that is known as the Crocifisso di Teodote. This name is a reference to the provenance of the item, which once adorned the nunnery of Santa Maria Teodote. The crucifix – made of wood with layers of silver – was commissioned by Raingarda, abbess of the nunnery between 963 and 965. She has herself been depicted at the foot of the cross. There are strong similarities between this crucifix and other crucifixes in the cathedrals of Vercelli and Casale Monferrato, as well as with Aribert’s Cross, which is currently in the Museo del Duomo in Milan.
As the raised choir is usually not accessible to visitors, we were unable to admire the twelfth-century mosaic floor that was laid around the high altar (which contains the relics of Eleucadius and Ennodius). This was a pity, as the representation of the months is truly splendid (image here). On the other hand, we did manage to get a good look at the remains of twelfth-century frescoes in a niche in the right transept. The fresco on the wall used to feature a Dormition of the Virgin or Dormitio Virginis. The Virgin on her deathbed, a number of apostles, an angel and Christ receiving his mother in heaven are still visible. In slightly better condition is the fresco of the vault of the niche, where in the centre we see the Lamb of God and in the corners four male figures, possibly the four evangelists.
_-_Interior?uselang=it#/media/File:Pavia_san_michele_mosaico.jpg){kind=link}
Several works of art in the church date from the fifteenth century. An example is a wooden Christmas crib, made in 1473 by Baldino da Surso (died 1478) and currently located in the right transept. To the left of it is a wooden altarpiece known as the Ancona di Santo Stefano. It is a work by Giacomo and Giovan Angelo del Maino, a father and son. Another fifteenth-century work that needs to be mentioned is the impressive apse fresco from 1491, painted by Agostino da Montebello. The fresco represents the Coronation of the Virgin.
Coronation of the Virgin – Agostino da Montebello.
Above the spot where the coronation throne used to be placed, we see another interesting fresco on the vault, featuring a coronation. It was painted shortly after the vaults had been renewed in 1489. Below the crowned figure we read the name CONSTANTINVS, so the man is likely the Roman emperor Constantine the Great (306-337). According to tradition Constantine’s mother Helena had commissioned the crown and had a nail from the True Cross incorporated into it. Because of that nail the crown was nicknamed the Iron Crown, but in reality the object is made of gold, while the band into which the nail was supposedly incorporated turned out to be made of silver. In the fresco Constantine is flanked by Eleucadius and Ennodius, while according to the caption the kneeling figure is Gerolamo Rosati, rector of the church. Not far from here Bernardino Lanzani (ca. 1460-1530) decorated a vault with a fresco of the four church fathers and symbols of the four evangelists. The church moreover possesses two works by Guglielmo Caccia (1568-1625), nicknamed Moncalvo.
Sources: Capitool travel guide Italy (2014), p. 203, Trotter travel guide Northwest Italy (2016), p. 399, Basilica di San Michele Maggiore – Wikipedia and Basilica di San Michele Maggiore – Pavia (Italia).