3. Chapel of the Langue of Provence
In effect, this is the first chapel on the left side. Although the altar itself was renewed in white marble by the prior of the church, Merchior Alpheran de Bussan (1713-1734) in 1732, the altar façade with its four twisted columns has been preserved from the late 1620s. The altarpiece is a genuine baroque re-working by Mattia Preti of the iconographic image of St Michael as practically fixed by Guido Reni.
The mausolea of two Grand Masters line the side wall of this chapel, one belonging to Antoine de Paule (1623-1636) and the other to the authoritarian, Jean Lascaris Castellar (1636-1657). Both monuments are typically late Mannerist works with profuse utilisation of motifs and decorative details, particularly marble inlays.
The sole lunette in this chapel is a Mannerist representation of the ‘Apparition of St Michael on Mount Gargano’, probably by a German artist with a Venetian background; traditionally it has been assigned to Lucas Killian (1579-1667).