Did you know that the famous Renaissance artist Lorenzo Lotto lived in the House of the Vicar, next to this church? Today the house partially belongs to the Ursuline sisters pension; also due to this favourable position, the Venetian Master created some wonderful artworks in the San Michele al Pozzo bianco Church, including the cycle of frescoes depicting the Episodes of Mary’s Life, painted in 1525 in the left side chapel.
If you love art, this church is a real treasure chest: in fact, it hosts some of the most ancient frescoes in Bergamo’s territory and represents an outstanding “lesson” of the local painting history, ranging from the early XIII Century to the late XVI.
The round stone you can now see on the churchyard marks the place where the ancient white well used to be, giving the name to the church itself.
The church dates back to the Langobardic period, but it was renovated more than once over the following centuries, up to 1915, when the bare stone façade was made. Probably the only original structures are part of the crypt, the external wall and a few more things.
The rest was rebuilt in the XV Century.
The refurbishing works carried out in the 1940s revealed the presence of refined (although incomplete) artworks dating back to the Early Middle Age. Some byzantine 1200-year paintings (and also previous) reveal the presence of an older church underneath the XV Century structure.
The building features a rectangular plan with a very peculiar and slightly irregular perimeter.
There are three chapels inside: you can enter the middle one by walking three steps, while looking through two small side-windows you can see the crypt underneath, which can be reached by means of a staircase located in the second church span, on the left.
Did you know that the famous Renaissance artist Lorenzo Lotto lived in the House of the Vicar, next to this church? Today the house partially belongs to the Ursuline sisters pension; also due to this favourable position, the Venetian Master created some wonderful artworks in the San Michele al Pozzo bianco Church, including the cycle of frescoes depicting the Episodes of Mary’s Life, painted in 1525 in the left side chapel.
If you love art, this church is a real treasure chest: in fact, it hosts some of the most ancient frescoes in Bergamo’s territory and represents an outstanding “lesson” of the local painting history, ranging from the early XIII Century to the late XVI.
The round stone you can now see on the churchyard marks the place where the ancient white well used to be, giving the name to the church itself.
The church dates back to the Langobardic period, but it was renovated more than once over the following centuries, up to 1915, when the bare stone façade was made. Probably the only original structures are part of the crypt, the external wall and a few more things.
The rest was rebuilt in the XV Century.
The refurbishing works carried out in the 1940s revealed the presence of refined (although incomplete) artworks dating back to the Early Middle Age. Some byzantine 1200-year paintings (and also previous) reveal the presence of an older church underneath the XV Century structure.
The building features a rectangular plan with a very peculiar and slightly irregular perimeter.
There are three chapels inside: you can enter the middle one by walking three steps, while looking through two small side-windows you can see the crypt underneath, which can be reached by means of a staircase located in the second church span, on the left.
Getting there
200 metres away (San Michele rampart): public parking without reserved parking spaces; possibility to request a pass for parking in the San Michele al Pozzo Bianco church yard.
250 metres away (viale delle Mura corner of via Osmano): bus stop line 1; step height 17cm; bus equipped with manual platform; 105cm pavement width with cobbled paving on via Osmano.
300 metres away (Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe): Upper Town Funicular Station. The footpath is downhill (slope 8% on a stone slab pavement and herringbone pattern porphyry.
Footpath from carpark and bus stop: uphill or downhill (slope 8-10%) except the section near the entrance, short but very steep (over 20%); adequate in terms of width and paving in stone slabs and herringbone porphyry; no tactile ground surface indicators.
Entering
Flat entrance with two 2cm thresholds at the gate; Adequate door width.
Visiting
Level and accessible interior floor space; Presbytery and chapels preceded by a 20cm step.
Visible works of art, possibility of switching lights on for a fee at the entrance to the church (150cm height switch).
Crypt not accessible due to narrow and steep staircase.
Using the bathroom
There is an accessible bathroom (portable bathroom) at the parking lot of the San Michele rampart.
Synthetic evaluation
O: accessible with a strong companion.
/: accessible with a companion.
Gallery
Parcheggio al baluardo di San Michele, lungo il Viale delle Mura
Attraversamento stradale - Viale delle Mura
Fermata dell'autobus lungo il Viale delle Mura
Via Osmano
Ingresso
Ultimo tratto di marciapiede (ripido) prima dell'ingresso
Porta d'ingresso
Interno
Cappella affrescata da Lorenzo Lotto
Bagno accessibile presso il parcheggio
