The Basilica of San Michele Maggiore in Pavia, Lombardy, is a well-preserved Lombard Romanesque church. A church was built here for King Grimoald between 662 and 671, on the site of the Lombard palace chapel. Between 888 and 1155 the site hosted nine coronations, including Berengar I in 888 and Frederick Barbarossa in 1155. A fire in 1004 destroyed the seventh-century church, and only the lower bell tower survives. The crypt, choir and transept were completed by 1130.
The church has a Latin cross plan, and it is built of sandstone, unlike nearby churches that use brick. An octagonal dome about 98 feet (30 meters) high rises over the crossing. The transept has two portals, a rare feature in northern Italy. The nave vaults were rebuilt between 1488 and 1491.
The facade sculptures are heavily deteriorated. A silver-leaf crucifix from the second half of the tenth century is among its treasures.
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