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Lucca  is a city and comune in Tuscany, Central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plain near the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca. Among other reasons, it is famous for its intact Renaissance-era city walls

San Michele in Foro is a Roman Catholic basilica church, built over the ancient Roman forum. Until 1370 it was the seat of the Consiglio Maggiore (Major Council), the commune's most important assembly. It is dedicated to Archangel Michael.

San Michele in Foro is mentioned for the first time in 795 as ad foro (in the forum). It was rebuilt after 1070 by will of Pope Alexander II

Notable is the façade, from the 13th century, with a large series of sculptures and inlays, numerous of which remade in the 19th century.

The lower part has a series of blind arcades, the central of which includes the main portal. The upper part, built using plenty of iron materials to counter wind, has four orders of small loggias. On the summit, flanked by two other angels, is the 4 m-tall statue of St. Michael the Archangel. According to a legend, an angel's finger would have a huge diamond.

On the lower right corner of the façade is a statue (1480) of the Madonna salutis portus, sculpted by Matteo Civitali to celebrate the end of the 1476 plague.

On the right corner once stand the famous marble statue of the “Madonna and Child”, known as the “Madonna Salutis Portus”. It was commissioned around 1480 by the illustrious Lucchese politician, diplomatic and academic Domenico Bertini (1417-1506) from the brilliant Renaissance Lucchese artist Matteo Civitali (1436-1502) as a sign of gratefulness to the Holy Virgin for deliverance Lucca from the Black Death, which razed the city in 1476. At present, the marvellous “Madonna Salutis Portus” is hosted in the indoors of the church.

The church interior has a nave and two aisles with transept and semicircular apse; the nave is supported by arcades on monolithic columns.

From the southern transept rises the bell tower, built in the 12th-14th centuries, with a series of single, double and triple mullioned windows. The last floor was demolished during the rule of Giovanni dell'Agnello (1364-1368), Doge of Pisa.

The inside of the church is rather plain and dark, in contrast to the outside.  There are two interesting features, however.   One is a beautiful Madonna and Child attributed to Andrea della Robbia and the other a vibrant painting by Filippino Lippi called “The Four Saints”.

Filippino Lippi “The Four Saints”.

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Sound: Juan Diego Florez Messa Di Gloria - Qui Tollis Peccata Mundi – Giacomo Puccini

Text and pictures: Internet

Copyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanu

www.slideshare.net/michaelasanda