An active Benedictine monastery and a symbol of the Piedmont region, one of the three largest centers of veneration of Archangel Michael in Europe. Described in the famous novel “The Name of the Rose” by Umberto Eco from Piedmont. The road from the picturesque shores of Lake Avigliana to an altitude of over 950 m above sea level and the hiking route from the parking lot to the monastery gradually immerse you in the atmosphere of a pilgrimage ascent and medieval mysticism.
In the cult novel by Umberto Eco “The Name of the Rose”, the action takes place in a medieval monastery “somewhere in northern Italy, in the foothills of the Alps”. The monastery stands alone, at the very top of a steep mountain – which determines the separate twists of the plot. Few know that this monastery – described in great detail, exists in reality. It is the Abbey of Saint Michael or, more precisely, Sacra San Michele.
Western Europe is crossed from north to east by an invisible line connecting three structures dedicated to Archangel Michael. The first – in northern France – the famous Mont Saint-Michel. The third – in Apulia, on Mount Gargano. And finally, the one chosen by Eco as the setting and silent participant in the novel “The Name of the Rose” – Sacra di San Michele on Mount Pirchiriano.
In the time of the Roman Empire, this mountain was called Porchiriano (Pig) and, rising at the northern limits of Roman possessions, served as a powerful outpost for repelling barbarian raids. In the 10th century, on the site of a semi-ruined fortress, an abbey was founded, dedicated to the chief commander of the heavenly Hosts – Archistrategos Michael. Its dedication meant that the abbey was not only a center of spiritual life but also a stronghold of the army.
Sacra di San Michele, sometimes called the Abbey of San Michele, is a religious complex built on Mount Monte Pirchiriano at the entrance to the Val di Susa valley. The complex is located in the municipality of Sant’Ambrogio di Torino and belongs to the diocese of Susa. For many years, Sacra di San Michele, majestically towering over the villages of Avigliana and Chiusa di San Michele, has been considered a symbol of the Italian region of Piedmont.
After another 300 years, Sacra di San Michele came into the hands of the wealthiest monastic order of the Middle Ages – the Benedictines, whose activities are associated with the highest flourishing of the abbey, described in Eco’s novel.
Then there were religious wars, fires that severely damaged the abbey – and this also found a place in “The Name of the Rose”, here the Low Gates of Humility lead to the Stairway of the Dead, carved directly into the rock, in the niches of which once rested the remains of monks, leading directly to the temple portal – the Zodiac Gates, one of the most astonishing structures of Romanesque architecture. No less impressive is the majestic and austere interior of the basilica, where frescoes from the 13th century have been preserved (surprisingly well), the very ones that Eco described so inspiringly.
Open every day except December 24-25, January 1, May 1.
