Photos of the Romanesque Lucca San Michele in Foro Basilica

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Photos of the Beautiful Medieval Romanesque Lucca San Michele in Foro Basilica Architecture & Art. Built over the old Roman Forum. Photos by photographer Paul E Williams.  (TIP – use the icons below the slideshow for thumbnail photos and info)

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Photos of the Romanesque Lucca San Michele in Foro Basilica Architecture & Art

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Photos of the Romanesque Basilica San Michele in Foro, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy.

San Michele in Foro Lucca

San Michele in Foro was built in the 10th century over the old Roman Forum of Lucca. It was commissioned in 1070 by Pope Alexander II who was previously Bishop of Lucca. The facade is built in the Pisan Tuscan style typical of Romanesque churches of the Period such as the Duomo of Lucca and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

San Michele in Foro Facade

The facade of San Michele in Foro is a beautiful example of Pisan Tuscan Romanesque design with high blind Romanesque arches. The facade has four stories of open gallery arcades covering over half the facade to the top. The arcades of San Michele in Foro are composed of rounded arches supported on historiated sculpted or decorative columns.

Between the galleries of arches are inlays of green marble against a white marble background depicting mythical animals, men hunting and exotic birds. The architrave of the galleries is decorated foliage sculpted in deep relief.

The columns holding up of the arcades of the arcades of San Michele in Foro are all different. Some are sculpted with mythical animals that were much loved by medieval sculptors. Other columns are inlayed with marble to make exuberant designs.The facade of the San Michele in Foro is of a fine example Pisan-Tuscan Romanesque architecture.

The top two arcades of San Michele in Foro are narrower than the ones below. On top of these galleries stands a Romanesque statue of St Michael (San Michel) sleighing a dragon.