| Saint Michael's Abbey | |
|---|---|
Abbazia della Sacra di San Michele (Arcangelo) | |
 | |
 | |
| 45°05′52.92″N7°20′36.56″E / 45.0980333°N 7.3434889°E /45.0980333; 7.3434889 | |
| Location | Mount Pirchiriano, in the municipalities ofSant'Ambrogio di Torino andChiusa di San Michele in theMetropolitan City of Turin province, part of ItalianPiedmont region |
| Country | Italy |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Religious institute | Rosminians |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Status | Abbey |
| Dedication | Saint Michael (Archangel) |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Style | Romanesque and laterGothic architecture |
| Groundbreaking | 10th–11th century |
| Completed | 13th century |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Archdiocese of Turin |
| Diocese | Diocese of Susa |
TheSacra di San Michele, sometimes known asSaint Michael's Abbey, is a religious complex on Mount Pirchiriano, situated on the south side of theVal di Susa in the territory of the municipality ofSant'Ambrogio di Torino, in theMetropolitan City of Turin,Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. The abbey, which for much of its history was underBenedictine rule, is now entrusted to theRosminians.
A special regional law acknowledges it as the "Symbolic monument of thePiedmont region".[1] This monumental abbey served as one of the inspirations for the bookThe Name of the Rose byUmberto Eco.[2]
According to some historians, inRoman times a military stronghold existed on the current location of the abbey, commanding the main road leading toGaul from Italy. Later, after the fall of theWestern Roman Empire, theLombards built a fortress here against theFrankish invasions.
Little is known of the early years of the abbey. The oldest extant account is that of a monk, William, who lived here in the late 11th century and wrote aChronicon Coenobii Sancti Michaelis de Clusa. He sets the foundation of the abbey in 966, but, in another passage, the same monk maintains that the construction began under thepontificate ofSylvester II (999–1003).
What is now thecrypt was built in the late 10th century, as attested by theByzantine influence in the niches, columns and arches. According to tradition, this building was constructed by thehermit SaintJohn Vincent[3] at the behest of the archangelMichael to whom he was particularly devoted; and the building materials which the hermit had collected were transported miraculously to the top of the mountain. In addition, it is noted that the cult ofSt. Michael, the archangel who warred with Lucifer, typically bases its churches on pinnacles or hard-to-reach places, for example,Mont Saint-Michel in France.
In the following years, a small edifice was added, which could house a small community of monks and some pilgrims.
Later the abbey developed under the Benedictine rule, with the construction of a separate building with guest rooms for pilgrims following the popularVia Francigena and of a church-monastery (1015–1035), probably on the remains of the ancient Romancastrum. DuringEaster in 1098,St Anselm,archbishop ofCanterbury, visited the monastery to see his nephewAnselm, who was a brother here. The younger Anselm would go on to serve as abbot ofSt Saba inRome andBury St Edmunds inEngland. Abbot Ermengardo (1099–1131) had a new large, 26 m-high basement built from the foot of the hill to its peak, on which a new church (the one existing today) was added, including the surrounding structures.
In the year 1315, the manuscriptBreviary of San Michele della Chiusa was written containing the prayer cycle of the year for the monks of the Abbey.
The monastery fell into decline and was finally suppressed in 1622 byPope Gregory XV. It remained abandoned until 1835, when KingCharles Albert and the Pope askedAntonio Rosmini to restore and repopulate it. It is currently under the care of theRosminians.
The church is located atop a rocky crag base and towers above the valley. The church façade leads to a staircase, theScalone dei Morti ("Stairway of the Dead"), flanked by arches, niches and tombs in which, until recent times, skeletons of dead monks were visible (hence the name). At the top of the 243 steps is the marblePorta dello Zodiaco, a masterwork of 12th-century sculpture. The church itself is accessed by a Romanesque portal in grey and green stone, built in the early 11th century. The church has a nave and two aisles and features elements ofGothic andRomanesque architecture. On the left wall is a large fresco portraying theAnnunciation (1505), while in the Old Choir is a triptych byDefendente Ferrari.
The complex includes the ruins of the 12th–15th centuries monastery, which had five floors. It ends with theTorre della Bell'Alda ("Tower of the Beautiful Alda"). The so-called "Monks' Sepulchre" is probably the remains of a chapel reproducing, in its octagonal plan, theHoly Sepulchre ofJerusalem.
From its foundation until 1380, the abbey had 27 monks elected abbot:[4]
From 1381 to 1826 the abbey was served by 26 abbotsin commendam:
