Some 20 km the west of Torino is the Sacra di San Michele. Built on a commanding point beginning at some point in the late 10th century, it is dedicated to the archangel Michael. By the 12th century it had been transformed into a very influential Benedictine Abbey with more than 100 churches under its rule. It was attacked many times over the next few hundred years and was ultimately abandoned in the early 17th century. It was reopened roughly 200 years later by the Rosminians and extensively restored around 100 years later which would have been 100 years ago from the present. Two Rosminian monks are currently in residence although I saw no evidence of any. It is a highly evocative collection of buildings in a fantastic location and is reputed to be the setting for Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose.
As you approach you see the abbey perched on the edge of the hill, some 1000 meters above the surroundings.
The higher you climb the more the complex comes into focus.
Once you have arrived, the sight lines draw your attention ever upward. You enter through a massively vaulted staircase called the Scalone del Morti around which the remains of the monks used to be stored.
As is common, art was used to relate biblical stories. Notice the stylized depiction of Cain and Abel on the middle column.
During the most recent renovation, flying buttresses in the neo-gothic style were added to provide stability.
Much of what remains today is the church, the rest of the complex which housed the original monks is in ruins. This included the Torre della Bell’Alda, shown below, which is believed to be the remains of an octagonal shaped chapel.
Finally, it was a bit brisk. Those are snow covered Alpine peaks in the background of the picture.
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