San Michele, Baroque and Neoclassical church building in Parma, Italy.

San Michele is a church in Parma that blends Baroque and Neoclassical architectural features on its exterior. Inside, the spaces contain religious artworks, sculptures, and decorative elements that fill the rooms from floor to ceiling.

San Michele is first recorded on 8 February 1136 and was consecrated on 29 May 1437 by Pier Simone Brunetti, suffragan bishop of Parma. In 1514 the original building was demolished to widen the road; Giovanni Gozzadini, papal governor of Parma, had it rebuilt on the left side of the road by Giorgio da Erba. The facade was redesigned by Niccolò Bettoli in 1820 and the bell tower raised in 1877.

The name San Michele dall'Arco recalls a triumphal arch that Gallienus supposedly raised on the Via Emilia in the 3rd century, near which the church may have stood. The parish was re-established on 25 July 1814 after a brief union with San Sepolcro. On the main altar hangs Stanislao Campana's 1828 painting of the Virgin with Saints Michael and Gemignano.

The building sits on Strada della Repubblica 99 in downtown Parma, making it accessible on foot from the main piazza. Visitors should check opening hours before arriving and dress modestly to respect the sacred nature of the space.

The church is called San Michele dall'Arco because it may have been built near a triumphal arch that Emperor Gallienus supposedly erected on the Via Emilia in the 3rd century. The 1736 pipe organ by Parma organ builder Bernardo Poncini, partly modified by Angelo Cavalli in 1882, still stands in the cantoria.