Sacra di San Michele


	Sacra di San Michelle

The Sacra (Holy) of S. Michael abbey rises on the top of the Pirchiriano mount at 962 meters of altitude in an extraordinarily dominant position on the entrance of the Susa valley. It is one of most evocative medieval monuments of the Alps. According to the tradition the abbey was founded in the X century by the hermit Saint Giovanni Vincenzo, yet bishop of Ravenna, then retired in hermitage on the slopes of the Civrari mount, on the other side of the valley. The angels and the archangel Michele appeared to him in a dream and indicated the top of the Pirchiriano mount like the place to build a church. In reality the foundation of the abbey, happened between 983 and 987: it is attributed by the historians to the Count Ugo of Montboissier. He donated to the monks the mount and the surrounding lands. Also the marquis Arduino granted to the monastery properties situated in the Turin County. The estates were then extending in all southern Europe, above all in France where reached 150 dependencies. Completely protected by the papacy, the abbey took advantage of this privilege in the recurrent contrasts with the bishop of Turin.

The abbey was the preferred destination of the rich pilgrims founding during their travels to Rome a worthy hospitality. The "Sacra" was moreover like a central stage of a great religious route diametrically crossing Europe from Saint Michele of the Gargano to Mount St-Michel in Normandy. The splendour of the monastery lasted until the XIII century, to which a progressive decadence followed, perhaps due to the difficulty of administrating a so widely dispersed patrimony. In 1381 the abbey ceased to be independent and passed under the protectorate of Amedeo VI of Savoy; the definitive abolition was in 1622. In 1836 monastery was reopened by King Carlo Alberto and committed to the Rosminiani Fathers, still now residing. In 1886 an earthquake mined the yet compromised structures and imposed no possibility of delay to the consolidation and restoration works, which were undertaken under the direction of Alfredo d' Andrade, lasting till 1936. Passing through an iron door which is what remains of the defensive town-walls, we can reach through a long stairway the Abbey.Entering, and the so-called "great stairway of the

dead men", culminating in the Zodiac Portal, masterpiece of the Romanesque art of the XII century. From here we can reach one of the terraces and, through an other stairway, the entering of the abbey church, preceded from another Romanesque portal. The church has three naves, ending in three apses; it stylistically testifies the passage from the Romanesque style to the Gothic one. The capitals of the columns and other sculptures of the central apse are remarkable. There are also many frescoes of the XV and XVI century. On the major altar a famous triptych of Defendente a Ferrari (XVI cent.) is exposed. The church contains also the tombs of twenty-four Savoy house princes.