At the top of the Tre Segni hill, at the end of what is now the century-old Villa Comunale, stands a small church overlooking the sea.
This is the Church of San Michele Arcangelo, modest in size and located far from the historic town center, under the religious jurisdiction of Santa Maria Maggiore. Yet, despite its remote position, it is the church of Vasto’s patron saint and holds mysteries that reveal themselves to those who observe its structure and interior with a discerning eye.
Its architecture is rich with symbolic meaning. Unlike traditional Christian churches oriented with their apse facing Jerusalem, this church is aligned more like a solar temple, with a Greek cross layout set precisely along the four cardinal directions. The cross itself is inscribed within an octagon, a symbol of wisdom and divine perfection. The gable façade, with its triangular pediment and central oculus, echoes the Masonic symbol of the “oculus Dei”, or Eye of God.
However, the most intriguing mysteries lie within the church itself.
Upon entering through the doorway beneath the external portico, visitors first encounter two ancient stone stoups. Above the entrance stands a beautiful pipe organ, donated in 1907 by Vasto’s emigrants in New York.
Directly across from the entrance, the magnificent 18th-century gilded wooden altar, crafted in Venetian style, serves as a striking focal point. Above it, a wooden statue of San Michele Arcangelo recalls the Sansovino masterpiece at Monte Sant’Angelo, depicting the archangel in the act of piercing the devil beneath his feet with a sword.
Inside the octagonal space, positioned along the cardinal points, stand the statues of San Gabriele (“Strength of God”) and San Raffaele (“Medicine of God”), each holding their traditional symbols. More unexpectedly, however, the other four sides house statues of Uriele (“Flame of God”), Barachiele (“Helper of the Oppressed and Weak”), Geudiele (“Praiser of God’s Word”), and Selatiele (“Intercessor and Hearer of Prayers”).
This church is one of the very few Catholic places of worship in the world to feature all seven archangels, rather than just the three officially recognized by the Church—and it is the only one to display them in sculptural form.
The reason behind this theologically unorthodox presence, especially in the church of Vasto’s patron saint, can be traced back to the site’s ancient and complex history, which extends far beyond official records.
According to 17th-century chronicles, the municipality commissioned the original chapel as an offering of thanks to San Michele for protecting the city in 1656, when Vasto was struck first by earthquakes, followed by a devastating outbreak of plague. The chapel was completed in 1675.
Of that 17th-century structure, only the altar remains. The current church was rebuilt in 1835, following the official recognition of San Michele as the new patron saint of Vasto in 1827, replacing San Teodoro.
However, the cult of San Michele in this region dates back to the Lombard era, when an earlier church dedicated to Sant’Arcangelo likely stood here. It is no coincidence that this church is aligned with the “Sacred Line of Saint Michael”, the legendary alignment of San Michele’s sanctuaries, stretching from Skellig Michael in Ireland to Monte Sant’Angelo on the Gargano Peninsula.
