San Michele in Borgo aedicule - Pisa, Italia - Exact Replicas on Waymarking.com

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"Archaeological evidence from this site indicates that it was already inhabited by the Etruscans and Romans. The earliest mention of the church and adjacent monastery goes back to 1016, when a pre-existing chapel was transformed and dedicated to the Archangel Michael, under the directions of the Benedictine monk Bono.

The building was handed over to Camaldolese monks between 1105 and 1111, in whose hands it remained until 1782, when monasteries were suppressed, and the church was transformed into a Priory. The building in its present state is the result of a long series of alterations beginning in the 13th century, continuing with the transformation of the medieval bell tower in 1676, a late baroque re-adaptation in mid 18th century and re-building following the earthquake in 1846, ending with the completion of repair work in 1963, after the second world war.

The marble front dates from the 1300s with three doors at street level; the central one is surmounted by a Gothic aedicule with a Madonna and Child with Angels and an Abbott holding an Offering by Lupo di Francesco (the originals are in the Museum of S. Matteo). Above there are three rows of loggias. Writing on the lower part of the wall refers to the election of a Rector of the University in the early years of the 17th century.

The interior is divided into three aisles by columns crowned with Romanesque capitals and the main altar is built above the 11th to 12th century crypt. Here you can admire a 14th century Crucifix attributed to Nino Pisano. The frescos and paintings date from the 13th to the 18th centuries. Two archaeological explorations, one in front of the Church and another behind it, discovered a 13th century brick-paved street and the remains of the late 13th century monastery, a modern-day well and ten 16th - 17th century silos for storing cereals."

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