Chiesetta di San Michele Arcangelo all'Arapezzana, Romanesque church in Villalago, Italy.
The Chiesetta di San Michele Arcangelo all'Arapezzana is a small church in the historic centre of Villalago. Above the entrance door is a Romanesque lunette showing Christ Pantocrator holding the Book of Life, with small angel heads at the sides. Inside, a niche in the apse wall above the altar holds a recently made statue of Saint Michael the Archangel.
The church was probably built by the Lombards when they installed a defensive outpost on Mount Argoneta, above the settlement of Villalago. The sources give no construction date, so the building is tied to that Lombard presence rather than to a documented century. It stands in the historic centre of Villalago, in the province of L'Aquila.
The statue of Saint Michael in the apse niche above the altar is of recent make, not an old carving. The church is dedicated to the archangel, and the figure stands inside the niche as the focus of the apse wall. The lunette over the entrance instead shows Christ Pantocrator with the "Book of Life" and small angel heads at the sides.
The church stands in the historic centre of Villalago, in the province of L'Aquila, so it is reached on foot through the town's streets rather than by a rural path. Look for the entrance door topped by the Romanesque lunette to identify it among the surrounding buildings.
Above the entrance door is a Romanesque lunette showing Christ Pantocrator holding the "Book of Life", with small angel heads at either side. The church stands in the historic centre of Villalago, in the province of L'Aquila.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,948 contributors worldwide.