The Church of San Michele Arcangelo in Citerna overlooks a small uphill square surrounded by historic stone buildings. The façade, made of stone and brick masonry, features a stone portal topped by a triangular pediment and a circular window above. Stone stairways on either side of the square lead to the surrounding buildings, decorated with wooden shutters and plant pots.
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The Church of San Michele Arcangelo in Citerna

Located in the highest part of the village and dedicated to the town’s patron saint, whose feast is celebrated on May 8, the Church of San Michele Arcangelo is a treasured guardian of Citerna’s historical and artistic identity.

A Temple Reborn Through Time

The ancient parish church of San Michele Arcangelo, dating back to the 12th century, stood near the Rocca, but was destroyed by an earthquake in 1917. The present church, located a short distance away, was originally dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament: it was built between 1680 and 1682 commissioned by the Confraternity of the same name, and only later, following the destruction of the Romanesque parish church, did it acquire its current dedication.

 

The Building: Simplicity and Richness

From the outside, the church displays an austere architectural style, characterized by a gabled façade embellished with a central rose window. Rising on the left side of the apse, the square bell tower culminates in a belfry pierced on all four sides by round-arched single-lancet openings. The interior consists of a single nave, flanked by six side chapels, three on the left and three on the right, arranged symmetrically. The structure ends in a square choir, surmounted by a frescoed barrel vault. Each chapel houses an altar adorned with paintings or wooden statues. A rectangular window is set above each chapel, illuminating the entire nave.

Interior of the Church of San Michele Arcangelo in Citerna, with wooden pews along the nave and a main altar decorated with gilded details. At the far end, a large crucifix stands between two stained-glass windows. The light-coloured walls feature arches and stucco decorations.
Detail of a side altar in the Church of San Michele Arcangelo in Citerna. At the centre is a religious painting depicting sacred figures, framed by columns decorated in blue and gold tones with richly ornamented capitals.

The Church’s Masterpieces

The church’s most important work of art is undoubtedly the Crucifixion by Niccolò Circignani, known as Il Pomarancio, located in the right transept. Signed and dated 1570, it was originally created for the Church of the Holy Crucifix, now the Benedictine Monastery, which was damaged by a storm in 1890 and definitively abandoned following the earthquake of 1917.

The work, exemplifying the Mannerist style, depicts no fewer than forty-two figures in a variety of poses, lending extraordinary vitality and a strong sense of movement to the composition. Among them, one figure in particular catches the eye: at the foot of the cross appears a mysterious character dressed in red and wearing eyeglasses. Who could he be? Some believe him to be a self-portrait of the painter, while others interpret him as a demonic figure: the mystery remains unsolved.
The walls of the church preserve frescoes and devotional paintings, including an evocative fresco of the Crucifixion attributed to Spinello Aretino (1350–1410).

Noteworthy 17th-century works decorate the first two chapels: the one on the left features an oil painting depicting Saint Nicholas of Tolentino and the Souls in Purgatory, with the scene of Solomon Among His Concubines above it, while the one on the right houses another oil painting portraying Saint Lucy between Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Felix of Cantalice, surmounted by the scene of The Finding of Moses.

In the second chapel on the left, visitors can admire the glazed terracotta statue of the Virgin and Child, remarkable for the brilliance of its glazes and the refined elegance of its forms, attributed to Giovanni della Robbia (c. 1469–1529). It was discovered among the ruins of the ancient parish church, near the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception, built by the confraternity of the same name and destroyed by the earthquake of 1917. Following restoration by the Superintendency for Cultural and Environmental Heritage, it was transferred to the Church of San Michele Arcangelo.

The church also houses a 1269 bell that once hung in the ancient parish church.

Visiting the Church of San Michele Arcangelo offers an intimate and evocative journey through the sacred art of central Italy, where Renaissance mastery intertwines with the deeply-rooted devotion of the local community.

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