San Michele Maggiore Church

The Basilica of San Michele Maggiore is a church of Pavia, one of the maximum striking example of Lombard-Romanesque fashion. It dates from the 11^th and 12^th centuries. A first church devoted to St. Michael Archangel changed into constructed at the area of the Lombard Palace chapel, but it became destroyed by way of a fire in 1004. The modern-day production become begun inside the late 11^th century and changed into finished by way of 1155. The vaults of the nave, at the start with two grossly squared groin-vaulted spans, were replaced in 1489 with the aid of the design of grasp architect Agostino de Candia in 4 rectangular spans, and the structure changed into created by using his father the renown Pavia grasp mason Iacopo da Candia.

The basilica changed into the seat of severa critical events, including the coronations of Louis III and Frederick Barbarossa, among the others. San Michele Maggiore may be taken into consideration the prototype of different important medieval church buildings in Pavia along with San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro and San Teodoro. However, it differentiates from latter within the use of sandstone as opposed to bricks, and for the Latin go plan with a nave and aisles and a much extended transept.