Saint Michael's Church
Historic site and monument Religious heritage Church
Presentation
Built at the foot of the castle around the beginning of the 13th century, in the heart of the city's activity, the Saint-Michel church opens onto a square crossed by one of the main communication axes.
The church's chevet faces east, a particularly common practice, as people turn towards Jerusalem [and the rising sun] to celebrate mass. The building illustrates the specificities of Provençal art by its arcaded bell tower and the sobriety of its sculpted decorations, which are part of the Romanesque style, a style that also explains the simplicity of its plan (a single nave with no aisles or ambulatory), as well as the thickness of the walls and the narrowness of the openings. The sober and massive aspect of the church is enlightened by the luminous warmth of the stone used for its structure.
From the same period, the sculpted tympanum that decorates its portal evokes the archangel Saint-Michel crushing the forces of evil symbolized by the serpent. If the general aspect of the building is typical of the Romanesque art, the vaults on ribbed crossings of the nave and the apse illustrate one of the first breakthroughs of the Gothic style in Provence. The church was therefore the object of several successive construction campaigns, even adding a bell tower in the 15th century, crowning the façade and used as a clock until the 17th century. Romanesque-Gothic building. Classified as a historical monument
From the same period, the sculpted tympanum that decorates its portal evokes the archangel Saint-Michel crushing the forces of evil symbolized by the serpent. If the general aspect of the building is typical of the Romanesque art, the vaults on ribbed crossings of the nave and the apse illustrate one of the first breakthroughs of the Gothic style in Provence. The church was therefore the object of several successive construction campaigns, even adding a bell tower in the 15th century, crowning the façade and used as a clock until the 17th century. Romanesque-Gothic building. Classified as a historical monument
Opening period (s)From 01/01 to 31/12, every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7 pm.
General information
- Client profile :
- Groups
- Price :
- Free
- Style :
- Gothic
Services, Tours, Activities and entertainment
- Environments :
- Close to a public transportation
- Station district
- Entertainment :
- Temporary exhibition
- Concert
- Visit :
- Guided tours
- Rooms equipped for :
- Concert/events
Contact
Saint Michael's Church
Place Saint-Michel
13300
Salon-de-Provence
Phone : +33 4 90 56 06 40
Tarifs
Free of charge.
FICHE_INFO_SIMPLE_LIBELLE_DESTINATION
Eglise Saint-Michel
Place Saint-Michel
13300
Salon-de-Provence
GPS coordinates
Latitude : 43.640422
Longitude : 5.09803