This content was automatically translated. View the original text.
The Collegiate Church of Archangel St Michael in Contigliano: Roman Baroque in the Heart of the Sabine Countryside
The Collegiata di San Michele Arcangelo (Collegiate Church of Archangel St Michael) dominates Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II in Contigliano (province of Rieti), flaunting a façade of local stone that seems out of proportion for so small a village. But that is precisely the point: around 1680 the town was enjoying a period of prosperity, and its people wanted a church to match, financed entirely by the community. The foundation stone was laid in 1683, and the church was consecrated in 1747. The design is by Giovanni Antonio De’ Rossi, a Roman architect of the late Baroque.
On the inside: six chapels and a rare organ
The interior has a single nave covered by a barrel vault, decorated with white stuccoes, that turn to gold in the apse. Six side chapels (three on each side) bear the coats of arms of their patron families. On the left, the path of the sacraments: Baptism, the Holy Spirit, the Blessed Sacrament. On the right, sanctity: the Saints Francis, Philip Neri, Joseph, Our Lady of the Rosary. On the high altar in polychrome marble: the altarpiece of St Michael is by Rieti painter Filippo Zucchetti. But the outstanding piece in the church is the organ: 31 pipes, an ebony and ivory keyboard, built by Adriano and Ranuzio Fedeli. The carved wooden organ gallery is by master craftsman Venanzio di Nunzio of Pescocostanzo, who also made the choir stalls from walnut, olive and cherry wood.
The crypt beneath the Porta dei Santi
Beyond the Porta dei Santi (Gate of the Saints), one descends to the Lower Church (Chiesa Inferiore). More sober in style, it served as the parish church from 1705 while the works above were being completed.
