Description
At Vallico Sopra, the parish church and the oldest church is nestled in a chestnut forest and is dedicated to St. Michael, celebrated on September 29 by the entire population.
The small parish complex includes the church, dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, the rectory and the old cemetery. A local legend would have it built by Countess Matilda of Canossa, built outside the village along the ancient road leading to Cardoso and on Mount Gragno, it respects the traditional location of early churches, which had to be easily accessible from several points. The façade of the church, made asymmetrical by the presence of the bell tower on the right side, in correspondence with the related aisle, is made of squared and polished limestone blocks as well as all parts of the church masonry in view. Judging from the relationship between the bell tower and the church, it is clear that the church was built adjacent to an existing watchtower Although it has undergone some restoration in the past, due to an old fire and the wear and tear of time it still retains its Romanesque three-nave structure, also noteworthy in the building are the facade moved by blind arcades and the decorated apse
by hanging arches. The configuration of the building of worship remained almost unchanged until the 17th century when, following the election as "Vicaria Perpetua" in 1639, there followed several restoration works mostly consisting in the 'enrichment of the decorative apparatus. The stucco decoration of the cross vaults dates back to 1713. The last restoration and consolidation work carried out on the church dates back to the year 2017.
