Duomo di Casertavecchia, Romanesque cathedral in Casertavecchia, Italy

The church of San Michele Arcangelo stands at the top of Casertavecchia, built of grey Campanian tuff left exposed. Its west facade has a triangular gable with three small arched openings above a round-arched window and a recessed portal; three white Luni marble portals pierce the front. A tall square bell tower with paired arched openings on each storey and small corner turrets rises on the right.

Bishop Rainulfo began the episcopal church in 1113, as an inscription on the right side portal of the facade records; a bull of the same year already lists San Michele as his episcopal seat. Work continued under his successor Nicola and ended in 1153, when Bishop Giovanni consecrated it; the architrave of the central portal names the architect Erugo. A second campaign in the 13th century added the transept, dome and bell tower.

The church is still called "il Duomo" although it lost cathedral rank in 1841, when Gregory XVI moved the diocese to the new plain city of Caserta. Its name San Michele Arcangelo comes from the archangel, and the village around it was simply "Caserta" in the Middle Ages. The 18 columns inside are spolia, mostly cipollino marble, and their capitals differ one from another.

The church stands at the top of the hill village, about 10 km from Caserta, and is reached on foot through the lanes of Casertavecchia; the facade faces west, so morning light falls on the apse side. It is a parish church, no longer a cathedral since 1841. The 1926 restoration by Gino Chierici returned the interior to its Romanesque state, so expect bare tuff walls and reused columns rather than Baroque stucco.

The eighteen columns of the nave are spolia, almost all of cipollino marble, and their capitals differ from one another: most are Corinthian, three are medieval. They likely came from a nearby temple of Jupiter Tifatino, which is why no two match.