The church of San Michelino in Foro in Rimini: history, analysis and project

Abstract

This article tries to reconstruct the history of a building of great historical, architectural and artistic significance, unfortunately unknown to most people: the church of San Michelino in Rimini, whose origin can be dated to between the fourth and sixth centuries. Today, it is possible to see only a few remaining parts of this ancient church embedded in buildings constructed in later periods.Starting from documentary and bibliographic sources this paper initially traces the history of the building, which was at first of Templar competence and then of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, before becoming private property.It also offers a brief study carried out around frescoes depicting a saint accidentally discovered in 1993 in the apse of the church.Through the bibliographic and documentary sources and the reading of the stratigraphy of the walls, the evolutionary history of the church is reconstructed architecturally.Finally, after analyzing the condition of the building, some guidelines are given to assist in developing a project of restoration and enhancement for the church and the frescoes inside.