Cremona, Church of Saint Michele Vetere

It is the oldest church in the city. The original Lungobard construction dates back to the 7th and 8th centuries. Restored in the 11th century, it was later enlarged after damage caused by a fire in 1113 and by the earthquake of 1117, by Bishop Oberto (1124) who made it the temporary episcopal seat while the Cathedral was under construction.
The façade with salients, in Romanesque style, is divided in three and has, in the central part, two mullioned windows surmounted by a rose window. Also noteworthy is the elegant semicircular apse. The raised presbytery is located above the crypt, which preserves the remains of the original church. Here the most important element is the series of five capitals from the Lungobard period which can be dated to between the end of the 7th and the beginning of the 8th century. The interior is divided into three naves by a series of monolithic columns with Romanesque capitals, most of them containing stylised vegetation. On the columns rest ogival arches from the 14th century. The 17th century cross vaulting replaced the original Romanesque ceiling in trussed wood. The interior is decorated with interesting works, among them a Romanesque fresco in the hollow of the apse representing the "Universal Judgement".