The European Saint Michael’s Line
Text: László Kripkó

The St Michael’s Line is a pictorial skyline that connects seven St Michael’s churches along a straight line of about 4200 km from Ireland to the Holy Land, following the line of the summer solstice sunset. According to tradition, the line marks the cut where the earth, struck by the sword of St Michael, split in two and swallowed up Lucifer and his henchmen, who were expelled from Paradise. Along the St Michael’s Line, which stretches from Britain to the Holy Land, many churches and monasteries have been built over the centuries in honour of the archangel, often with local legends attached to them. This paper traces the history of these churches.