Church of Saint Michael

The Church of Saint Michele Arcangelo was built in 1600 close to the walls of the city of Taormina, near the Palazzo Duchi di Santo Stefano and the former Convent of San Domenico, outside the town of medieval origin. The church is attributed to a Baroque style, as evidenced by the portal that attracts some greek-Roman art elements. However, originally the church probably showed different characteristics than today, this is because the building was heavily damaged by the bombings of 1943, after which, during the fifties of last century, was restored to its former glory, to be opened for worship and to the many tourists only from 2011. The proximity of the structure to a stately building suggests that it must be a private church, reserved for owners of the same Palazzo Duchi di Santo Stefano. The Baroque façade shows the beautiful portal, whose doorposts and the lintel are Taormina pink marble. Just above the portal there is a small rectangular window from the top of which we find an iron cross. Once inside the church you lead to the single nave. The ceiling features exposed wood-beam trusses, whose restoration has tried to maintaining unaltered the original features. Inside the church there is a crypt where access is, however, it closed to the public because of a grate. Another sign which shows the private nature of the chapel.
The outer structure also features a tower with two bells. Today you can watch the various religious functions and visit the church, opened in 2011 after a phase of restoring lasting several years.