Chiesa di San Michele, Casale Monferrato

The small church of San Michele can only be visited by guided booking. It is a jewel that goes unnoticed, given that it remains closed for most of the year, not to mention that it is located in a passageway and that it is not particularly striking if you do not raise your eyes to observe the statues depicting the three archangels , in the middle, above the simple solid wood door, stands San Michele who pierces the dragon. The land was donated to the confraternity of San Michele, or dei Nobili, at the beginning of the 16th century, a plot of the Cathedral cemetery. The hall has an octagonal plan, and is surmounted by a dome frescoed by the Pavia painter Giovanni Antonio Cassano, who began work in 1597. The Stories of the three archangels Michael, Raffaele and Gabriel are depicted. Each story is divided from one another. The paintings that currently adorn the church Annunciation, Announcement to the Shepherds, Nativity, St. Michael the Archangel, Assumption with St. Francis and a Carthusian Monk, Rest in Egypt were attributed by the scholar Giovanni Romano and Guglielmo Caccia known as Il Moncalvo, dating them before 1614. The sixth canvas The dream of St. Joseph, dated 1627, is the work of Guglielmo Crosio. If you have the opportunity to pass through Casale Monferrato it would be really worth a visit.

The Church of San Michele looks unremarkable on the outside but is a real gem on the inside. The vault is completely frescoed by the Pavia painter Giovanni Antonio Cassano. There are also several important paintings by Moncalvo. Also worth visiting is the adjacent Oratory. Unfortunately, it can only be visited as part of the Casale Città Aperta initiative (two weekends each month). It deserves more, much more!

unfortunately closed when I passed!