San Michele in Gaiano

Parish church of Gaiano.

Explaination: The parish church of San Michele Arcangelo is situated at the end of the Selva, on the road that leads from Solarolo to Castel Bolognese.The parish of Gaiano is first remembered in a document dating back to 1022. The church was rebuilt after the second world war after 40 grenades damaged the façade and destroyed the roof. The church has a face brick façade, a portico held up by four columns with the main door at the centre with a stone edging in the shape of a cornice. Above the door, once again in the centre, are a large rose window and finally a large triangle shaped cornice with an iron cross placed on its vertex. Inside the church there are three altars: the high altar and two side altars dedicated respectively to S. Biagio and S. Eurosia. The high altar is placed between the two columns that support the arch of the choir stalls. Behind the altar there is a hanging image of San Michele Arcangelo inside a carved golden cornice. Towards 1900 the roof was redone and the church was decorated internally with the works of a certain painter from Ferrara named Rossi. Currently only the part of the chapel of the high altar remains from these original works. The very original baptism font made completely of terracotta and in oriental style also dates to this period. There is a caisson church ceiling with chestnut wood beams and faesite bottom. Inside the church we can see a Madonna with Child from the school of Guercino (17th century) and the Stages of the Cross in terracotta, the work of Gaetano Dalmonte of Faenza.There are four holy relics inside this church. The first is made up of several pieces of stone from Mount Gargano on which San Michele made an apparition. The second is a piece of bone of Pope St Gregory. The third is a piece of bone of S. Eurosiaand the last consists of several small pieces of bone of S. Biagio. The walls around the cemetery and the fence were built at the beginning of the 1800’s.