| The Church of St. Michele in Frangesto is placed along the old street called “panoramica” (a panoramic viewpoint in the country side of the town) which leads from Monopoli to Selva di Fasano, in “Loggia di Pilato” country-district. According to many scholars, the church was part of an old farm; on the other hand, according to the Bull of Pope Alexander the IIIrd, it was part of a nuns monastery, built around the XII century, on lands that belonged to the Abbess. Its name derives from the St. Michael the Archangel and from the Bishop Michele who blessed it (during his episcopate) between 1144 and 1176. The church has got an Apulian Romanesque style. On the inside, it is divided into three naves with vaulted ceiling. The apses are evident. Beyond the entrance, two single lancet windows on the apses of the side-naves and a circular window on the ring-nut of the main apse which constitutes the only two sources of light. A walled-in arch portal was the only opening on the northern side of the church. It is believed that there were many frescoes, because of the painted plaster traces remained on the walls. On the outside, thanks to a small bell tower and the brightness of its white plaster, the rock crypt stands out within the surrounding unspoilt country |