When you stand at the foot of Mount Pirchiriano in Piedmont, Italy, and look up at the Sacra di San Michele, it’s easy to see why generations of pilgrims have been drawn here. The abbey clings to the rock like a fortress against time, its stone walls rising from the mountain itself, high above the valley of Susa. Dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, this sanctuary has long been a place of devotion, endurance, and encounter. Pilgrims who climb its steps today walk not only into a sacred space but also into the layered history of Italy’s medieval faith.
The History of the Sacra di San Michele
The origins of the Sacra di San Michele go back to the late 10th century. Hugh of Montboissier, a nobleman from Auvergne, founded it as an act of penance. According to tradition, he was instructed by the pope to undertake a pilgrimage—either to Rome or to the Holy Land—but instead he chose to dedicate himself to this mountaintop sanctuary. He built an abbey in honor of St. Michael, the archangel often depicted as warrior and protector.
This was not an isolated choice. Across Europe, a chain of sanctuaries dedicated to St. Michael marked ancient pilgrimage routes, stretching from Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy down to Monte Sant’Angelo in southern Italy. The Sacra di San Michele sits almost precisely in the middle of that line, as if Michael himself had placed his sword to guide pilgrims along the spine of Europe.
For centuries, monks lived and prayed here, and travelers on their way to Rome or Jerusalem stopped at the Sacra to rest, to pray, and to steel themselves for the journey ahead.
What Pilgrims Experience Today
Arriving at the Sacra di San Michele today still feels like stepping into another world. The path up the mountain is steep, and most pilgrims choose to walk the final section on foot as an act of devotion. The climb is not only physical but spiritual: each step away from the valley below and toward the abbey above brings a pilgrim closer to silence, reflection, and prayer.
The first sight is the Scalone dei Morti—the “Stairway of the Dead.” This massive stone staircase once held tombs along its walls. Though the bodies are long gone, the name lingers, and so does the reminder that life is short and eternity long. Many pilgrims pause here, letting the cool air of the stone hall and its shadowy height settle into their bones.
Above, the Porta dello Zodiaco—the “Door of the Zodiac”—welcomes pilgrims with carved signs of the heavens. Romanesque sculptors filled the stone with images of celestial cycles, a reminder that faith and cosmos, heaven and earth, meet here. Passing through, pilgrims enter a sanctuary of arches, chapels, and the great church that crowns the mountain.
From the terrace outside, the view is vast. To the west rise the Alps, rugged and snowcapped; to the east stretches the Po Valley, hazy and green. Many describe a sense of standing between earth and sky, just as St. Michael himself is imagined to stand between humanity and God.
Inside, the atmosphere is austere. The church is massive, with high stone walls and sparse decoration. It was never meant to dazzle but to endure. Pilgrims often describe the silence here as deeper than elsewhere, a silence that makes one aware of the sound of one’s own breathing, footsteps, and prayers.
How to Plan a Pilgrimage
Planning a pilgrimage to the Sacra di San Michele is more than booking a ticket and walking uphill. It’s about preparing your body and mind for an experience that combines history, faith, and endurance.
- The Journey
The Sacra is about 40 kilometers west of Turin, and many pilgrims begin their journey there. From the city, you can travel by train to Avigliana, the nearest town. From Avigliana, trails lead up Mount Pirchiriano, and many choose to walk this last stage rather than drive. The climb takes between 1.5 and 2 hours depending on pace. - Physical Preparation
Though not an extreme climb, the pilgrimage path is steep, uneven, and demands stamina. Comfortable walking shoes, water, and a steady pace are essentials. Many pilgrims time their climb early in the day, when the sun is still low. - Spiritual Preparation
For centuries, pilgrims fasted, prayed, or made confession before such a journey. Today, you may not follow the same practices, but it is worth taking time to reflect on why you are going. What do you seek at the Sacra? Peace? Healing? A closer connection to God? Clarity in a moment of decision? Naming your intention gives purpose to every step you take. - At the Abbey
The Sacra is open to visitors throughout the week, but hours vary, so check ahead. Pilgrims often attend Mass in the church, but even outside of liturgy, the abbey welcomes prayer and quiet. Allow yourself time to explore not just the abbey but also the terraces, cloisters, and paths around it. The surrounding forest is full of smaller chapels and shrines once used by hermits and monks. - After the Pilgrimage
Returning to the valley is part of the experience. Coming down from the mountain, pilgrims often reflect on what they are carrying back into daily life. In medieval times, a visit to the Sacra was sometimes enough to fulfill a penance equal to traveling to Rome itself. Today, it can be a reminder that renewal does not always require going far—sometimes it means climbing the mountain in front of you.
Why Pilgrims Keep Coming
Why, in an age of fast travel and instant information, do people still walk up a mountain to an abbey built a thousand years ago? The Sacra di San Michele offers no luxury, no spectacle in the modern sense. What it offers is something rarer: the chance to be small before something vast and old.
Pilgrims describe the feeling of placing their hand on the stone walls, knowing those same stones were set by medieval masons who lived and died centuries ago. They describe the quiet awe of standing at the altar where generations have prayed before them. And they describe the view—the sense that the world below is spread out like a map, and yet, from the abbey’s height, seems suddenly smaller and less overwhelming.
For many, devotion to St. Michael is also part of the draw. The archangel is the defender against evil, the one who casts down the dragon in Revelation, the heavenly warrior who protects the faithful. In an uncertain world, the idea of standing under Michael’s wings still gives strength.
Final Thoughts
The Sacra di San Michele is not only a monument of stone but also of memory. Every pilgrim who climbs its steps adds a new layer to that memory, whether they come in search of healing, peace, strength, or simply curiosity. In the end, the pilgrimage is both outer and inner: a climb up a mountain, and a climb into the quiet places of the soul.
If you go, go with patience. Let the climb humble you, let the silence teach you, and let the stone walls remind you of how small and fleeting a human life is. But also let the view from the terrace remind you of how vast and enduring the world can be, and how faith, like the abbey itself, can anchor us on the mountaintop between heaven and earth.
