The Church of San Michele: Mysteries and Freemasonry
At the top of the Tre Segni hill, at the end of what is now the century-old Villa Comunale, there is a small church overlooking the sea.
It is the Church of San Michele Arcangelo. Despite its small size and its location quite far from the town, it falls under the religious jurisdiction of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. Nevertheless, it is the church of the patron saint of Vasto and holds mysteries that an attentive eye can discern within its walls and surroundings.
Inside, the officially recognized three archangels of the Catholic religion—Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael—are venerated. Alongside the statues of Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the statues of Uriel, Flame of God; Barachiel, Helper of the Oppressed and Weak; Jeudiele, Praiser of the Word of God; and Sealtiele, Mediator and Hearer of Supplications, also find a place.
What are they doing there, and why does the church take the form of a solar temple, constructed with clear Masonic symbolism?
Today, the Church of San Michele in Vasto is a triumph of allegorical meanings. Its layout is characteristic of a solar temple, with the entrance gallery and pyramid-shaped pediment symbolizing the eye of God, while the octagonal plan represents the symbol of perfection.
To understand the reasons behind this unexpected symbolism, one must know that the archangel Michael, over the course of two thousand years, has absorbed the characteristics of previous deities worshiped by peoples progressively embracing Catholicism, including Mithras and Odin.
San Michele, with his multiple hidden identities, was also “recruited” by the Carbonari in the early 19th century. In 1820, the people of Vasto took the statue of the Archangel and brought it to the Cathedral of San Giuseppe to confer upon him the title of Grand Master of the Carbonari.
It should not be surprising, then, that in 1827 the Church responded to the citizens’ requests and declared San Michele the new patron saint of the city. In 1835, it was decided to rebuild the church, and the cult of the Archangel was thus architecturally reconnected to its deeper meanings.
