The Church of the Sacred Heart and St. Michael Archangel in Sant’Angelo Le Fratte, originally dedicated to Santa Maria ad Nives and later to Santa Maria Maggiore, is a fascinating example of sacred architecture with Roman and Baroque influences. Its construction dates back to the episcopate of Constantine Testi (1628-1637), but it underwent numerous interventions due to the devastating earthquakes that struck the region. In particular, after the earthquake of 1694, it was rebuilt by Bishop Girolamo Prignani, while Bishop Francesco Saverio Fontana (1714-1736) adorned it magnificently, endowing it with a splendid episcopal throne and a grand high altar, giving the church the solemnity proper to a cathedral.
Unfortunately, another earthquake in 1857 again destroyed the building, which was rebuilt thanks to the efforts of curate Don Francesco Caggiano and with the support of the Bourbon government, the bishop and the local population. The church was again reconsecrated as the centerpiece of the community.
The interior of the church is divided into three naves, lit by the large side windows, with a dome grafting directly onto the drum, creating a monumental spatial effect. The aisles end with chapels dedicated to the Sacred Heart and St. Michael the Archangel, while the roof, with trusses, contributes to giving the building the majesty of an ancient church. The main facade is accessible via a white stone staircase, adorned with two crouching lions from the destroyed St. Stephen’s Church.
The bell tower, located on the right side of the facade, consists of three sloping cubic planes, topped by a bell tower with three bells, the largest of which bears the inscription “Salvatore Nobilione fecit 1914.” A “Canon” clock is set on the pyramidal spire, using a bell from the Church of the Annunziata as a rattle.
Inside, the church is enriched with numerous works of art of significant artistic value. Prominent among them are the large canvas of the “Madonna of the Rosary and Mysteries” by Giovanni De Gregorio, known as Pietrafesa, and the “Stoning of St. Stephen” by Angelo Michele Ricciardi.
There are also beautiful sculptures of St. Michael the Archangel, St. Lucy and St. Stephen. Beneath the presbytery, rest some of the bishops who chose Sant’Angelo Le Fratte as their residence in the 17th and 18th centuries, including Costantino Testi, Domenico Tafuri, Girolamo Prignani, Francesco Saverio Fontana and Marco Leone, all remembered for their commitment to the religious and cultural life of the village.