Church of St. Michael the Archangel

Perched on a steep hill in the valley of the Lucese stream, the town of Torcigliano has been remembered since the 10th century. A previous church certainly already existed, but the first certain news we have of the current one dates back to a document dated 1347. An independent parish since 1410, the current church is the result of an initial expansion in the mid-17th century, when the sacristy was also built, and of a subsequent, radical renovation in 1890. It was consecrated two years later.
The gabled façade is finished with a rusticated facing in cement mortar, in the center opens the entrance portal framed in marble and surmounted by a lunette. The church has a single rectangular hall, oriented to the east, has an interior divided by an architectural apparatus consisting of pilasters that divide the hall into four bays: the roof is barrel-vaulted with nails. The main chapel is framed by two pillars leaning against the side walls and a transverse arch, the space is covered by a cross vault.

Facade
The gabled façade is finished with a rusticated facing in cement mortar; in the centre opens the entrance portal framed in marble which is surmounted by a lunette.

Prospectuses
The lateral elevations, not plastered and with exposed brickwork, allow us to clearly identify the various construction phases of the factory. In fact, on the left side, we can see a large portion of brickwork, in squared stone blocks, part of the first construction, and in the terminal part the seventeenth-century expansion is clearly visible. On the opposite side there is a lateral entrance and nearby we can see the cornerstone that marks the limit of the original construction.

Plant
The building has a rectangular plan shape, with the major axis oriented from east to west and the entrance in the latter position. The interior has a single hall, divided into four bays, and a major chapel, positioned at the back, defined by a system of pillars.

Presbytery
The presbytery is housed in the main chapel and is raised by one step from the floor of the hall, and separated from it by marble balustrades.

Structural system
The structural parts of the building consist of continuous masonry, arches, transverse arches, beams and wooden frameworks.

Coverings
The roof covering is made of terracotta tiles and bricks.

Floors and paving
The building is paved with square brick tiles and bands of white and grey marble, while the presbytery is paved with white and grey marble arranged in a checkerboard pattern.

Decorative elements
The interior of the building is marked and articulated by a plastic architectural apparatus that sees pilasters dividing the hall, covered by a barrel vault with nails, into four bays. The main chapel is instead defined by two pillars leaning against the side walls and a transverse arch, the space is covered by a cross vault.

Choir
Placed on the counter-facade and entirely made of wood, it is supported by slender wooden pillars, and shows the parapet, everted in the centre, enriched by a wooden balustrade painted to look like fake marble.

Bell tower
The bell tower is adjacent to the facade, on the left side, and is built in stone masonry. It is the result of the 1655 renovation. The archivolted windows open on the floor of the bell cell. The tower is crowned by Guelph battlements.