Church San Michele Arcangelo - Camaiore - Tuscany

The Church of San Michele (and its associated hospital) is located in what was the original center of the village of Campus Maior, which as early as the 10th century was an important stop along the Via Francigena between the ancient Roman colonies of Lucca and Luni.

The structure of San Michele corresponds to that of simple Tuscan pievi: it has a single hall with a pitched roof and an apse that emphasizes the high altar. The stone cladding is visible both outside and inside. During the Second World War, in 1944, the church of St Michael Archangel was unfortunately hit by a bombing that destroyed it. The building still exists today in the faithful reconstruction that was carried out immediately after the horrific incident.

The hospital belonging to the church, on the other hand, has a double order of four arches from the 17th century and today houses the Museum of Sacred Art of Camaiore. Of particular note is the door on the right side of the building, as above it one of the four Names of Jesus is depicted with the thaumaturgical monogram dated 1631, the year the plague arrived in Lucca. Camaiore was the only city that remained immune to it and this miracle was prompted by the promise made by Saint Bernardino two centuries earlier (1424-1428). The Name of Jesus, now located at the entrance of the Museum of Sacred Art, was once in Via Cafaggio at No. 24. The remaining three monograms are in Via Verdina at No. 25, in Via IV Novembre at No. 128 (in front of the Church of Santa Croce) and in Via XX Settembre at No. 124. They all bear the same inscription: "LIBERA NOS PROPTER NOMEN TUUM DOMINE MDCXXXI" (Redeem us for thy name, O Lord 1631).

Willem Vandenameele