San Michele Arcangelo, Romanesque church in Pontorme, Empoli, Italy

San Michele Arcangelo is a Romanesque church in Pontorme near Empoli, constructed with robust stone pillars and thick masonry walls. The interior displays semi-circular arches and medieval architectural features that reflect the traditional building methods of that era.

The church first appears in documented records on May 27, 1192, when it was confirmed as a subsidiary chapel of Empoli parish. An attached oratory was designed in 1616 by Gherardo Mechini, marking a later expansion of this sacred place.

The parish had an Opera tasked with maintaining, decorating and enlarging the building, and the baptismal font chapel was frescoed after Pope Eugene IV granted the font in 1435. The Compagnia di San Michele commissioned Pontormo around 1519 for two panels of Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Michael, once part of the wooden altar.

The church is open during regular times for worship and welcomes visitors interested in exploring its medieval architecture and interior. It is best to check the exact opening times before visiting, as these are tied to religious schedules and local events.

The miraculous 14th-century wooden crucifix stands on the pietra serena altar of the Crucifix, built in 1736 in the last chapel on the right. It once belonged to a wooden altar complex that also held two panels by Pontormo, painted around 1519 for the Compagnia di San Michele.