European network

Cammini di san Michele (Italy)

The legendary sources tell how "the Archangel chose three particular places in the western regions of the world to visit himself and his people, and to flood them with his light: the first on Mount Gargan, already very well known throughout the world; the second near the ocean, known as 'at the peril of the sea'; the third, placed exactly halfway, is Mount Pirchirianus".

Following in the footsteps of the monk Bernard, the oldest known pilgrim on the Pilgrim's Way to Saint Michael, who followed this route around 867-868, he now takes us on a tour of the great Michaels sites:
- the Sacra di San Michele (Piedmont)
- Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome
- Monte Sant'Angelo (Puglia)

Scientific collaboration

As part of a partnership with the universities of Caen Basse-Normandie and Paris X-Nanterre, the association has been working with the University of Bari and the University of Turin for many years:

- for the exchange of references and scientific works
- for producing exhibitions (check out the one on the 3 Monts)
- For participating in and co-organising conferences on the cult of and pilgrimages to Saint Michael.

It was during one of these colloquia in 2006 (the Cult and Sanctuaries of Saint Michael in Medieval Europe, Bari and Monte Sant'Angelo, 5-8 April 2006) that various partners decided to join forces to make the route linking Mont-Saint-Michel, the Sacra di san Michele (Piedmont) and Monte Sant'Angelo (Monte Gargano) a European cultural axis.

Since then, the association has been working to make this wish come true, with a variety of initiatives
For walkers and pilgrims wishing to visit these great shrines, we invite you to consult our section on the route.

Text of this wish

Since then, the association has been working to make this wish come true, with a variety of initiatives
For walkers and pilgrims wishing to visit these great shrines, we invite you to consult our section on the route.

Cammini di san Michele in the Piedmont Region

Referring association : Amici della Sacra di San Michele consult the association's website.

This association was founded in 1986 with the aim of promoting and developing the historical, cultural, artistic, religious and social links between the monument and the surrounding area.

- Historical and heritage research

A number of cultural associations in the Susa Valley and Chambéry have joined forces with the Amici dellla Sacra di San Michele to record the places of worship associated with Saint Michael and the pilgrimage along this route. This painstaking work has been published in a beautiful book entitled Il cammino di san Michele , edited in 2011 by Maria Luisa Reviglio della Veneria of the Amici della Sacra di San Michele.

Several explanatory panels have also been installed by the Amici and their partner, as in Sant'Ambrogio di Torino and Susa.

Associations involved :
 Amici dell'Arte e dell'Antiquariato
 Associazione Amici di Avigliana
 Associazione amici della fondazione Ordine Mauriziano
 Associazione AION
 Arte e Archelogia Association
 Associazione Il Ponte di Susa
 centro culturale vita e pace di Avigliana
 Fidapa Torino-Rivoli-Val Susa
 Societa Friulana di Archeologia Onlus Udine
 unione volontari culturali associati
 volontari di San Benedetto di Novalesa

• Italian cycling clubs in the region join forces for the by Pierre-Marie Werlen, 23 April 2011. this miquelot has cycled between Mont-Saint-Michel, La Sacra di San Michele, Rome and Monte Sant'Angelo (see his testimonial)

Michaels sites

Display the map of Michaels sites on Google Map

The St Michael's Mount

Located in the south-west of England, Cornwall is another "finisterre" where Celtic legends and monuments abound. In Penzance Bay, the priory dedicated to Saint Michael stands on a rock that is only accessible at low tide. And, as in the Mont, a legend tells of a forest submerged by the sea. According to tradition, Saint Michael appeared on this rock in 495, prompting the first pilgrimages. In the 11th century, the site became a dependency of the Norman abbey of Le Mont.

After Normandy became part of the French crown in 1204, relations with the mother abbey quickly became strained. In 1533, after the priory was abolished, King Edward VIII transformed the buildings into a fortress and granted it to one of his relatives. Since then, it has been the residence of an aristocratic family, and is now open to visitors.

Brussels

Saint Michael, patron saint of the city of Brussels, is closely linked to the history of the city and its origins. The first sanctuary, Saint-Michel-au-Mont, was destroyed several times during Scandinavian incursions into the region, but was rebuilt and enlarged at the beginning of the 11th century by Lambert I, Count of Louvain, and housed the remains of the Virgin Saint Gudule, his relative, for whom the people professed great veneration. This church, completed in 1097, was consecrated to Saint Michael and established as a collegiate church with twelve canons. However, from that time onwards, popular fervour combined the two names to designate the church that is now the cathedral of Saint-Michel-Sainte-Gudule in Brussels.

Pilgrims flocked to the church, just as they did to Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, so much so that the town's aldermen decided to have the effigy of the Archangel depicted on the town's seal. Later, around 1220, Henri I de Barbant decided to enlarge the church even further, following a plan similar to that of today's cathedral.
In 1402, the aldermen had the foundations laid for a new town hall, and in 1449, a whirling statue of the city's patron saint was boldly placed at the top of its magnificent Gothic stone spire, almost 100 metres high! Badly damaged by the weather, the statue was restored several times. Put back in place on 11 June 1996, the image of Saint Michael continues to perpetuate the age-old tradition of the Archangel's protection over the great Belgian city that became the capital of Europe.

San Miguel in Excelsis (Uharte Arakil, Navarre)

The Romanesque church of San Miguel de Aralar stands at an altitude of 1,237 metres on the summit of Mount Aralar. It is the successor to a hermitage dedicated to the Archangel, and was once a hospice for pilgrims, although access to the site was difficult. According to tradition, a Navarrese knight who had committed parricide was condemned by the Pope to wander the mountains in heavy chains until one day they fell off by themselves; he defeated a dragon thanks to the intervention of the Archangel Michael, founded a chapel there and settled there as a hermit. His chains are still on display in the Romanesque chapel built around 1100.
Set in unspoilt countryside and fabulous landscapes, the site retains a special evocative power; it is still a place of pilgrimage to the Archangel. A spiritual Mecca in Navarre, it also occupies a special place in the hearts of the people of Navarre: the vermeil reliquary statue of Saint Michael displaying the Holy Cross is the object of great devotion.
The chapel, which is supported by the Saint-Michel brotherhood, is a popular destination for tourists, walkers and pilgrims, who take a wide variety of routes to get there. It stands on an ancient site on the Roman road from Bordeaux to Astorga, where the original route to Santiago passed. In fact, this sanctuary and its surroundings are an important link in the network connecting Northern Europe to Santiago de Compostela and all the routes that cross the Iberian Peninsula.

Sant Miquel del Fai (Catalonia)

In an exceptional setting of ponds, waterfalls, caves and troglodyte dwellings, the priory of Sant Miquel del Fai seems to be suspended in the void, leaning against the cliff amidst waterfalls.

The rock chapel existed before 997, when the Count of Barcelona donated the estate to found a monastery. The monastery was consecrated in 1006 and attached to the major abbey of Saint-Victor de Marseille in 1042. The topography of the site clearly evokes the characteristics of Michaels sanctuaries linked to Monte Gargano.

Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe rock

Spectacularly built at the top of a volcanic peak overlooking a suburb of Le Puy-en-Velay, the chapel was founded in 962 by Truannus, dean of the chapter of Le Puy-en-Velay, and given to the cathedral chapter. Truannus had a 220-step staircase carved out of the rock to reach the platform where the sanctuary was built.

Three oratories, dedicated to Raphael, Gabriel and Saint Dignefort, punctuated the climb. Several grottoes were dug along the staircase, probably to shelter the devotion of the faithful. Visited by poor pilgrims and sovereigns passing through Le Puy, the chapel became the focus of a major pilgrimage, probably closely linked to the success of the pilgrimage to the Virgin of Le Puy. Very early on, a community of hermits settled at the foot of the rock, and took the name of Séguret Abbey, serving a hospital for pilgrims and burying the poor.

The monument is famous for the majesty of its site, the boldness of its construction, the quality of its Romanesque architecture with its sculptures and murals, and for the precious Romanesque reliquaries found in the altar a few years ago.

Saint-Michel de Cuxà Abbey

Situated at the foot of the Canigou mountains, the abbey was founded in 840 and was originally dedicated to Saint Andrew, while the church was dedicated to Saint Germain. It was not until 974, at the consecration of the abbey church, sumptuously rebuilt by Abbot Garin, that it was placed under the sole invocation of Saint Michael. From this time onwards, the treasury contained a fragment of the Archangel's cloak, probably from Monte Gargano, which may explain the change of dedication.

A few years later, just after the year 1000, the three-aisled church was further enlarged by Abbot Oliba, who surrounded the flat apse with an ambulatory, increased the number of radiating chapels to seven and added a large rotunda to the west of the church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

This Marian shrine had several levels, with a crypt dedicated to Notre-Dame-de-la-Crèche and an upper level dedicated to the Trinity. This choice no doubt refers to the rotunda of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and also reflects the influence of Carolingian architecture and liturgy. As at Saint-Bénigne in Dijon, built a few years earlier, the archangel Saint Michael protected the Virgin Mary through the proximity of their respective altars. In Cuxà, in the middle of the 11th century, this topography inspired the monk Garsias in one of his sermons: "In front of the Queen is the terrible Michael, as if to protect her".

Denestanville, (Seine-Maritime)

The chapel of Saint-Michel, located at the top of a hill known as "Mont Saint-Michel", was home to a brotherhood of Saint-Michel, founded in 1526. The pilgrimage is attested at the end of the 18th century, but it was probably much earlier.

Puy-Saint-Michel (Creuse, Saint-Aignan-près-Crocq)

Situated at an altitude of 824 m at the top of a forest, the chapel is believed to have been built by Guillaume d'Aubusson, Lord of Le Theil, in the 15th century. In the 19th century, it still attracted crowds sometimes estimated at ten or twelve thousand people for the festival on 29 September. A Saint-Michel fountain below the chapel was a favourite spot for pilgrims.

Saint-Angel (Corrèze)

The priory of Saint-Michel-des-Anges gave its name to the village in Correze where it was founded in Carolingian times. The priory is known to have been donated to the Poitevin abbey of Charroux in the will of its founder at the end of the 8th century.

Situated on a rocky knoll with steep slopes, the isolated site was fortified as early as the Middle Ages; in the 9th century, it was already referred to as the "monasterium et castrum sancti Angeli" (monastery and castle of Saint Angel), in keeping with the tradition of Michaels sites, which were often fortified because of their strategic location and frequently overturned because of what was at stake.

Saint-Mihiel (Meuse)

According to an 11th-century chronicle, the powerful Lorraine abbey of Saint-Mihiel owes its creation to the misadventure of a pilgrim returning from Monte Gargano. In 709 - the year the Mount was founded - Wulfoad, an Austrasian nobleman, stopped off with relics brought back from the Archangel's grotto, but he was unable to take them back. Bowing to the miracle, he decided to found an abbey. The original site was at the top of a nearby mountain, but the community moved to the banks of the Meuse at the beginning of the 9th century, and the monastic settlement is the origin of today's town.

Saint-Michel-en-l'Herm (Vendée)

This abbey was founded by a bishop of Poitiers at the end of the 7th century, on the rocky islet of Vieux-Condet overlooking the marshy areas of the Gulf of the Pictons. At the end of the 10th century, after destruction caused by Viking raids, the abbey was restored in 960 by Ebbes, bishop of Limoges, who retired there and directed the work until his death in 990.

The Romanesque church was consecrated in 1027. Because of its strategic importance, the site has often been disputed over the centuries, and there have been numerous modifications and reconstructions. The current complex dates from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Saint-Michel-du-Mont-Gargan Priory in Rouen (Seine-Maritime)

Situated on a hill at the entrance to Rouen, this dependency of the Abbey of Saint-Ouen de Rouen was a sanctuary replica of Mont-Saint-Michel and attracted worshippers from the Rouen area. Restored after the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion, the priory church disappeared during the Revolution.

"Mont Saint-Michel, Saverne (Bas-Rhin)

In 1593, the old Saint-Michel chapel overlooking Saverne was rebuilt and a Saint-Michel brotherhood, closely linked to the development of a pilgrimage to the Archangel, was founded the same year. Until the end of the 18th century, a hermit lived in the grotto beneath the chapel, providing a religious presence at this much-frequented shrine.

Sanctuaries built near the city gates:

Vernon (Eure): Saint-Michel de Vernonnet priory, located above the town, on the Côte Saint-Michel. Former chapel belonging to Saint-Wandrille, ceded to the abbey of Montebourg (Manche) in the middle of the 12th century.

Bernay (Eure): priory of Saint-Michel du Mont-Milon - known as Mont Saint-Michel. A rivalry arose between the parish priest of Sainte-Croix and the abbot of Bernay over the sharing of oblations to the chapel in Bernay.

La Sacra di San Michele

Just outside the Alps, between the Mont Cenis pass and Turin, in the Susa valley, the Sacra di San Michele stands majestically on a mountain overlooking the Via Francigena, a route used by pilgrims and travellers between France and Italy.

The first community of hermits on this mountain was succeeded around 983 by a Benedictine monastery founded by Hugues de Montboissier, a nobleman from Auvergne, on his return from a pilgrimage to Rome. These spectacular 11th- and 12th-century buildings, standing atop the rock and often emerging from the mists of the valley, were an important centre of pilgrimage to the Archangel. Since 1836, the Rosminian fathers, called by the Savoy family, have maintained a spiritual life on the summit of the mountain and welcome the faithful who come to pray to the Archangel.

Today, the Sacra di San Michele is also an important tourist and cultural site in the Piedmont region. Open to visitors, it regularly hosts events (exhibitions, conferences, etc.). Official website of La Sacra di San Michele
To help the Rosminian fathers welcome visitors and maintain the sanctuary, a number of enthusiastic volunteers have come together to form the Associazione Volontari Sacra di San Michele.

Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome

Built on the banks of the Tiber, the Castel Sant'Angelo is the mausoleum built in the 2nd century AD to house the body of the emperor Hadrian, before being transformed into a fortress during the Middle Ages. In 590, Pope Gregory the Great saw the archangel St Michael appear above the monument, sheathing his sword to signify the end of the plague epidemic that was ravaging the city at the time.

A chapel of Saint-Michel was then founded on the summit, where the apparition occurred. A monumental bronze statue of the Archangel has stood on its site since the 18th century. Although not a pilgrimage shrine, the monument is closely linked to the development of the Michaelic cult in the West, just a century after the Archangel appeared on Monte Gargano at the end of the fifth century.

Monte Sant'Angelo

Situated in the south of the Italian peninsula, in Norman Apulia, Monte Gargano (the municipality of Monte Sant'Angelo) is one of the most famous pilgrimage sanctuaries in medieval Christianity. The Liber de apparitione sancti Michaelis in monte Gargano, written in the middle of the 8th century, recounts how, in the second half of the 5th century, the Archangel appeared to the Bishop of Siponto and consecrated this rocky sanctuary on the promontory overlooking the Adriatic Sea.

This region, crossed by the ancient Appian Way, one of the main routes to the Holy Land, was occupied by the Byzantines. In the mid-seventh century, the Lombards, allied with the Beneventans, took control of the region and made the warrior archangel their protector and his grotto a national shrine. 8 May, the anniversary of the victory over the Byzantines, became the Archangel's main feast day.

In 867-868, the monk Bernard, known to be the first pilgrim to Mont-Tombe mentioned in the texts, stopped here on his way from Rome, before setting off for the Holy Land. Visited by kings, emperors and popes, the cave attracted pilgrims from all over Europe (Franks, Germans, Saxons, Scandinavians, etc.) and became the model for a large number of sanctuaries, including Mont-Saint-Michel itself, founded in 709 in Normandy.

Even today, the grotto attracts many pilgrims and is an important centre of Michaels worship.

The Skellig Islands

In the High Middle Ages, island missionaries helped spread the cult of Saint Michael across the continent and founded numerous settlements in his honour. In Ireland, the spectacular site of Skellig Michael - or Saint Michael's Rock - is a steep island where hermits prayed to the Archangel for several centuries.

Situated some ten kilometres off the south-west coast of Ireland, on a rocky outcrop 218 metres above sea level and swept by winds from the Atlantic, the monastery, founded in the 7th century, is one of the most famous in Ireland; excavations carried out in 1955 revealed its history over the centuries. The most famous Michaels shrine on the island, it was the focus of a major pilgrimage that continued after the monks left for the mainland at the end of the 13th century. The island is now a nature reserve, and since 1996 has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mikkeli

Or Saint Michael in Finnish, the town, capital of the region of Southern Savonia and the province of Eastern Finland, is named after the Archangel and boasts a 14th-century church that has been converted into a museum. The town council hopes to recreate the pilgrimage for the Archangel's feast day on 29 September.

European network of Saint Michael's sites and routes