Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo e Scuole Pie

The church of San Michele Arcangelo and its former school complex were established in Brindisi by the Piarist fathers, who arrived in 1664 to provide public education. The church's polychrome-tiled dome and Piarist emblem recall the complex's origins; the former convent cloister is known as the Corte degli Artigiani.

Why it matters

The Chierici Regolari della Madre di Dio delle Scuole Pie, or Scolopi, arrived in Brindisi on 27 January 1664 and began classes a week later. The school grew from three rooms to about two hundred pupils in the eighteenth century. Its students included the future archbishop Annibale De Leo, cartographer Benedetto Marzolla and naturalist Teodoro Monticelli; Saint Pompilio Maria Pirrotti also served among its fathers. The complex linked religious life with the history of public education in the city.

What to notice

The church's dome is covered with polychrome tiles, and the Piarist coat of arms remains above the portal. Four side chapels were added as the complex expanded. Behind the church, the former convent cloister became the Corte degli Artigiani, a space associated with artisan workshops and cultural activity. The upper floor has also housed the Pinacoteca Collezione Armando Scivales.

Context and history

Archbishop Francesco de Estrada acquired the premises for the Piarists, whose teaching began in 1664. The curriculum included reading, writing, humanities and grammar. The convent rooms later served as a school, dormitory and district jail. In the twentieth century, the church was used as an auditorium and hosted exhibitions of the MAP Museo Mediterraneo dell'Arte Presente from 2011 to 2016. San Michele is now part of the diocesan museum network, alongside Santa Teresa and San Paolo Eremita.