San Michele, Oleggio, Romanesque church on Via Mezzomerico, Oleggio, Italy.
San Michele is a Romanesque church in Oleggio organized into three naves separated by rectangular supports. The building features three apses with decorative false arches and multi-paned windows throughout its walls.
The church was built from stone in the 10th century and was officially recognized in 1133 by Pope Innocent II. This papal approval documented the site's importance to the region.
The name San Michele refers to the Archangel Michael, shown in the central apse leading a host of angels beside a Christ Pantocrator in a mandorla. On the counter-facade, three patriarchs hold the souls of the blessed under suspended crowns, while the damned were once painted to the right of the door and are now lost.
The church sits within the cemetery grounds of Oleggio in the Province of Novara in Piedmont. Visitors should plan to walk through the cemetery area to reach the building.
On the counter-facade, beside the entrance door, three Patriarchs are painted holding the souls of the blessed under suspended crowns; the damned souls that once faced them on the right are entirely lost. The Last Judgement cycle around them dates to the second half of the 11th century.
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