Church of Sant'Angelo

The Church of Sant' Angelo is considered one of the oldest not only in Perugia but in entire Italy. It was built in 5-6 centuries in honor of the Archangel Michael.

According to the data, earlier, there was an ancient Roman temple in that place. But, when Christianity was spreading on the territory of the Roman Empire, and the paganism was prohibited, the temple was destroyed. If you make a research, you can learn that that site was considered sacred by the Etruscans even before the appearance of the ancient Roman temple.

Christianity was spreading very quickly in this Italian region. So, by the 6th century, there were 21 dioceses on the territory of Perugia. The new religion was very popular among the residents, who found solace in the church from multiple wars.

By the way, most Christian churches were built on the place of the pagan ones. Unfortunately, just some basilicas have been preserved till present days, like San Salvatore in Spoleto.

The first church in Perugia had several names: Padiglione di Orlando, Archangel Michael’s Church, Tempietto (“a small church”). 

The basilica is located on a hill. To come to it, you need to go to Corso Garibaldi Street. Close to the Sant'Angelo you can see a small nice garden. The church building is built on two concentric basements. 

The interior of the church is made in the Roman style. There you can see such typical features as a covered arcade with a presbytery, divided by an amphitheater with columns. Each column has its height and material. It reminds that all of them were brought there from different places. At that time, that was rather ordinary. 

2 chapels adjoint the church and form the shape of a Greek cross.