Complesso di San Micheletto

The San Micheletto complex brings together a medieval church, a former Clarisse monastery and the present-day seat of the Fondazione Ragghianti, which houses a library and archive and organises exhibitions and research. The church of San Michele in Cipriano was founded in 720 in the area adjoining the borgo of San Gervasio and rebuilt in 1195.

Why it matters

San Micheletto’s history reflects the changing religious and civic life of Lucca. The church was rebuilt after a twelfth-century collapse, reusing decorative bands and small pillars from an earlier building. In 1460 it was consecrated and the monastery adopted the Rule of Saint Clare. The complex later served different roles, including as a stable in 1806, before becoming the home of the Fondazione Ragghianti.

What to notice

The church’s reused decorative elements preserve traces of its earlier fabric. Around it, the former monastery retains the layout of a religious complex shaped by centuries of use and alteration. The cloistered setting now accommodates the foundation’s cultural work, including its library, archive, exhibitions, teaching and research.

Context and history

The church was rebuilt in 1195, and in 1260 was recorded as Ecclesia S. Michaelis de Borghiciolo. In 1433, the church and adjoining property were donated to Suor Marchesana di Pagano Portici, superior of the nuns of the Third Order. The monastery later followed the Rule of Saint Clare. After religious properties were confiscated in the Napoleonic period, San Micheletto was used as a stable for the princely residence at Villa Buonvisi. The Clarisse returned in 1827, and the complex passed to the Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca in 1972 after the nuns left. It is now the historic home of the Fondazione Centro Studi sull’Arte Licia e Carlo Ludovico Ragghianti.