Two bears on hind legs (top right) amongst medieval inlaid marble and marble sculpture, added in Pisan Romanesque style in the 1200s to the lower part of the west front of the Chiesa di San Michele in Foro in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy.
Lucca, Tuscany, Italy: exuberant medieval marble sculpture and inlaid marble enriching the façade of the Chiesa di San Michele in Foro (Church of St Michael) in Piazza San Michele, built on the site of the ancient Roman forum in Lucca. The lower part of the facade was added in Pisan Romanesque style in the 1200s to a church built between the 1000s and 1300s. The familiar Christian motif of a winged angel (lower right) contrasts with wild animals, including bears (top right) and a lion (left). San Michele in Foro is a Roman Catholic basilica, dedicated to St Michael the Archangel. The church is mentioned for the first time in 795 as ad foro (in the forum). It was rebuilt after 1070, as commanded by Pope Alexander II. Construction of the present church began in the late 1000s, the campanile was begun in the 1100s, and the Romanesque lower part of the facade was added in the 1200s (the upper part of the facade is Gothic). Until 1370, the church was the seat of the Consiglio Maggiore (Major Council), the commune’s most important assembly.
Size: 3879px × 2603px
Location: Chiesa di San Michele in Foro, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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