Saint Michael the Archangel History: Everything you need to know about the leader of the angels

Who is holy Michael the Archangel? What does he represent according to the Christian Bible?

We will answer these questions in this article! To answer briefly:

Saint Michael is called "the archangel" or the leader of the angels in the Bible. He is also called: Prince of the Archangels, Archangel of the First Ray, Defender of the Faith, Prince of all the angels of Good, leader of the forces of heaven, of the heavenly militia, champion of Good.

As said, in this article you will have answers to the questions:

• Who is Saint Michael the Archangel?
• What are the biblical references of Archangel Michael?
• What are his attributes according to the Bible?

Before you continue reading, here are several blog topics you can discover on our site about archangels:

• How to invoke Archangel Michael
• How to invoke Archangel Raphael
• How to invoke Archangel Metatron
• Who is Archangel Gabriel?
• Who is Archangel Metatron?
• Who is Archangel Raphael?
• Who is Archangel Uriel?
• The history of Mont-Saint-Michel

And if you want to wear a sacred symbol of the archangels, we share with you all the pieces exclusively available in the jewelry store by clicking just below:

Biography Saint Michael the Archangel

Who is Saint Michael?

Saint Michael the Archangel led the army of faithful angels who cast out Satan and led the rebellious angels into hell. At the end of time, he will wield the sword of justice to separate the righteous from the evil (cf. Revelation 12:7ff.). Saint Michael is an archangel in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as " Saint Michael the Archangel " and also as "Saint Michael." Orthodox Christians call him "Archangel Taxiarch Michael" or simply "Archangel Michael."

He was proclaimed protector of the forces of law and order by Pius XII in 1949. He is celebrated on the same day as the Archangels Raphael, the doctor, and Gabriel, the messenger.  Angels who serve God day and night and, contemplating his face, glorify him without ceasing.

Of Hebrew origin, the name Michael ( מיכאל in Hebrew) is derived from the phrase "Mi-ka-El", meaning "who is like God?" or "Who loves God?". He is known to have been the fighting angel, the one who fought and defeated the dragon .

The angel Michael is considered the leader of the armies of angels . His name and the biblical and Quranic stories where he is mentioned, have earned him this warrior nickname. He is celebrated on September 29 like the other two archangels.

The Angel Saint Michael: a spirit conceived by God

An angel is a pure spirit created by God . Old Testament theology included the belief in angels: the name applied to certain spirit beings or intelligences of heavenly residence, employed by God as ministers of his will. When you are in the presence of Archangel Michael, there is no mistaking him. He sometimes appears in the company of other angels, who are usually in the background or at his feet. How can he help you? If you need courage or feel that you are under spiritual attack, call upon Archangel Michael to support your guardian angel and strengthen your resolve in difficult circumstances. 🙏

The 4 Archangels of God

His other archangels are the angel Raphael , whose special mission is healing, Gabriel the heralding angel who came to the Virgin Mary, and the more discreet Uriel , who is credited as the angel who warned Noah of the coming flood to cleanse the earth. Little is known about Uriel, but he is said to be the angel of consolation, the one who comforts mortals in times of great loss. And not to mention Michael often accompanied by the angels Raphael, Gabriel and Uriel thus forming: the 4 archangels of God .

Saint Michael the Archangel: Prince of the Seraphim

St. Basil and other Greek fathers ranked St. Michael as the Prince of all angels . With the rise of scholasticism and the exposition of the nine choirs of angels, some said that St. Michael was the "prince of the Seraphim," the first of the choirs.

Saint Michael the Archangel has been invoked for protection on various occasions. In 590, a great plague struck Rome. Pope Saint Gregory the Great led a procession through the streets as a penance, seeking forgiveness and atonement for sins. At Hadrian's tomb (now Castel Sant'Angelo near St. Peter's Basilica), the angel Saint Michael appeared and drew his sword, indicating the end of the plague. The Holy Father then built a chapel on top of the tomb, and to this day a large statue of Saint Michael rests there.

Saint Michael in the Churches

Throughout the liturgical rites of Catholics, Saint Michael has a very important role in the defense against Satan and the powers of evil. In the Tridentine Mass since the 1200s, Saint Michael has been invoked in the Confiteor, along with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Baptist, and Saints Peter and Paul. The invocation of these saints has inspired the faithful to remember the call to holiness and the sinlessness of the Church Triumphant in Heaven.

In the spring of 1994, Holy Father Pope John Paul II urged the faithful to offer the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel . He also strongly suggested that the recitation of the prayer be reinstituted at Mass . (Note that the Holy Father did not make the recitation of the prayer mandatory at Mass.) Clearly, the Holy Father was responding to the grave evils we see present in our world: the sins of abortion, euthanasia, terrorism, genocide, and others. Satan and the other fallen angels are doing their best to lead souls to hell. We need St. Michael’s help! For this reason, many parishes have erected a shrine to St. Michael where they offer the prayer in his honor at the end of Mass. 🙏

Saint Michael's Day Calendar: Saint Michael's Day

"Saint Michael's Day", the Christian feast of the archangel Saint Michael , is celebrated in Western churches on September 29. Given Saint Michael's traditional position as leader of the heavenly hosts, the veneration of all the angels was eventually incorporated into his feast. In the Roman Catholic Church, Saint Michael's Day is now more commonly celebrated as the Feast of the Angels, Gabriel, Raphael, and All the Archangels . In the Anglican Church, its proper name is the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels .

The Eastern Orthodox Church does not observe St. Michael's Day and celebrates the archangels on November 8. The veneration of Saint Michael, considered the greatest of the archangels and a powerful defender of the church against Satan, began in the Eastern Church in the 4th century and spread to Western Christianity in the 5th century.

In the Middle Ages, Michaelmas was a major religious festival and many folk traditions developed around this day, which coincided with the harvest in much of Western Europe. In England, it was customary to eat goose on Michaelmas, which was believed to protect against financial need for the following year. In Ireland, finding a ring hidden in a Michaelmas afternoon tea meant that one would soon be married.

The attributes of Archangel Michael in pictures and on jewelry

Because of these religious references, the Archangel Michael is depicted in the armor of a warrior or centurion soldier . The most common image shows him as the conqueror of Satan, with his heel on the fallen angel's head. He almost always carries a sword or spear , but he may also carry a scale, keys, or chains in his hands, as well as a cloak.

The attributes of the Archangel Michael refer to his role as a just, valiant man, protector of the innocent and judge of evil.

Saint Michael takes on a multitude of physical appearances . In Scandinavian countries, he has blond hair and fair skin. He can also be seen with brown hair and fair skin. There are, however, some similarities with his earthly visits and these are his immense size and strength of character. His gigantic and powerful wings also distinguish him from other angels. Often, an electric blue light is associated with his presence and he appears to have a steely determination in his eyes. Sometimes, gold and/or white are also present.

His name meaning "Who is like God", was a battle cry for the good angels as they fought to combat the dragon. The image of Michael defeating Satan is one of the most popular depictions of the archangel prince. He is often depicted with a spear, sword, armor, banner, and/or scales. Michael was best known for his strength and courage, and many applaud him for his chivalry and determination to boldly fight for justice. He was essentially the perfect knight. He figures more than any other named angel in religious texts, and is the oldest angelic devotion.

The Missions of St. Michael the Archangel

The early Church Fathers recognized the importance of angels and archangels, especially St. Michael. Theodoret of Cyrus (393-466) in his interpretation of Daniel wrote: We are taught that each of us is entrusted to an individual angel to guard and protect us. And to deliver us from the snares of evil demons. The archangels are tasked with guarding the nations . The Church Fathers also state that St. Michael stood guard at the gates of Paradise after the banishment of Adam and Eve, and that he was the angel through whom God issued the Ten Commandments. In the Catholic tradition St. Michael has four duties :

1. Continue to fight against Satan and other fallen angels.
2. To save the souls of the faithful from the power of Satan, especially at the hour of death.
3. To protect God's people, both Old Covenant Jews and New Covenant Christians.
4. And to lead the souls of the departed from this life and present them to our Lord for the particular judgment, and at the end of time, for the final judgment.

Saint Michael is responsible for protecting those who love God, transporting the souls of the dead, and leading the battle against Satan . He is also traditionally the one called upon to free the possessed in spiritual bondage to evil spirits. The position of archangel is not to be taken lightly, and there are only four archangels who serve as princes among the angels.

For these reasons, Christian iconography depicts Saint Michael as a knight-warrior wearing battle armor and brandishing a sword or lance. While standing triumphantly on a serpent or other representation of Satan (or even a dragon). Sometimes he is depicted holding the scales of justice or the Book of Life, both symbols of the Last Judgment. ⚖️

Prince of the armies of God

The book of Revelation 12:7-9 speaks of St. Michael deploying all his strength and power in the fight against God's enemy: Satan. This battle continues, and it is St. Michael, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, who will fight and destroy the Antichrist , as he did with Lucifer.

This leader of the heavenly militia helps us when we consider that the Christian life is a spiritual battle for the Kingdom of God, where each one must carry his cross.

Saint Michael is recognized as the captain, the leader of the heavenly militia, and all the angels render him obedience and are attentive to him. This recognition is due to the fact that the angels see in the will of Saint Michael the will of God. He helps us to accept, love and do the will of God.

St. Michael teaches us to be faithful to God

With the rebellion of Satan and his angels, the division of the world began. Saint Michael and the holy angels decided to remain faithful to God, while the believing angels abjured God and broke their loyalty to Him. Faithfulness is therefore the first characteristic trait of the holy angels.

Satan trembles when he hears the name of St. Michael, and the reason is that the name "Michael" reminds him of the time when he, Satan, rebelled against God and was unfaithful to Him, St. Michael stands up and says: "Who is like God?" The minutes that followed these words were truly unpleasant for Satan.

Today, when infidelity strikes families and homes, when there is infidelity in offices that have been trusted, when there is a dictatorship of relativism, it is time to invoke Saint Michael to remain faithful to the doctrine and tradition of the Church.

Defender of Christians

Saint Michael appeared many times to people in need and was called for help. An extraordinary example of this help is that which Saint Michael gave to Saint Joan of Arc (Cf. the Book of Arc). Apart from these visible manifestations of this great archangel, there are all the manifestations and actions in favor of men and nations.

Saint Michael has a compassionate love for men and there is not a single soul that is far from his action. Today we need this great help of Saint Michael for so many dangers that Christians face in various areas. We are talking about 245 million persecuted Christians, nations where the faith is persecuted. Ask this angel for this help in order to be faithful, to confess our faith with courage and to persevere in the love of Christ and his Church.

Saint Michael does not remain indifferent to the new forms of seduction and rebellion that surround Christians, so let us invoke this great friend and defender in the face of every necessity.

Intercessor for the sick and the deceased

Saint Michael is not only the leader of God's army , his field of action is very broad and extends to various areas. Since ancient times, in the Eastern Church, Saint Michael has been attributed the ability to heal, which goes hand in hand with his protection of men . He appeared 3 times to an Indian named Diego Lazaro to show him a water with healing properties.

Saint Michael is interested in everything that happens to man, he is our great defender at the moment of death. He has been entrusted with the task of receiving the souls of the elect. With affectionate solicitude, he presents the soul to the eternal light and leads the soul to the glory of God.

St. Alphonsus of Liguria tells us that there was a Polish nobleman, who for many years had led a dishonest life. As the hour of his death approached, he was filled with terror and his conscience was filled with remorse, and he did not want to receive any spiritual help . This man, however, entertained a kind of veneration for St. Michael and God in His mercy allowed the archangel to appear to him and exhort him to repent and ask in prayer for time to repent of his sins. After this, two Dominican fathers arrived at the house, saying that they had been sent, to which the man recognized the work of St. Michael, confessed and died reconciled to God.

Guardian of Purgatory

It is a popular tradition to present Saint Michael as the one who holds the book of life, and who carries a pair of scales in which the soul of each man is weighed.

Prayers have been composed which enter into the liturgy of the Church and confirm the assistance of this angel to the souls in Purgatory. One of these prayers is presented as follows:

"Let the heavens be opened and let the angels rejoice with him. Receive your servant into his kingdom. Receive him, Saint Michael the archangel of God , who has deserved to be the prince of the heavenly host.

Protector of the Church

In the Old Testament, Saint Michael appears as one of the princes of heaven , placed as guardian of the chosen people (Dn 12:1), from which it follows that the new people of God, being the Church, has this glorious archangel as their protector and special guard. This mission is taught almost unanimously by all the Fathers of the Church.

When attempts were made to destroy Christianity through persecution and threats, it was St. Michael who, under the command of Our Lady, Queen of Angels, appeared to help and protect. St. Catherine Emmerich repeatedly recounts visions she had of St. Michael, in the form of a warrior , standing over the church with a bloody sword in its sheath as a sign of victory. This should fill us with hope as we see increasing persecutions and attacks on the Church.

This is the case of Constantine the Great, in the 4th century, who received from Saint Michael the strength to obtain a brilliant victory over the pagan emperor Maxentius. Saint Michael appears to Constantine saying: "I am Michael, leader of the angelic legions of Our Lord, protector of the Christian religion , who, while you were fighting against impious tyrants, I place my weapons in your hands."

The Antichrist Killer

St. Louis Gonzaga writes that when the end of the world comes, St. Michael will appear to fight against the Antichrist ; he will do so to defend the Church of God in its terrible persecution (cf. 1 Jn 2:18; 1 Th 4:16). It will be at this moment of final victory that St. Michael will sound the trumpet in the presence of Christ and awaken all those who have died from Adam to this day.

As you can see, the missions and tasks of Saint Michael the Archangel are numerous and very important and necessary for our current life, therefore I invite you to dedicate yourself to this glorious Prince .

St Michael's Biblical References

Saint Michael is mentioned more than any other angel in the Bible and you can read about his triumphs in the Books of Daniel and Revelations. He is the Guardian of Humanity and is available to help you when things get really tough.

Book of Daniel

Saint Michael is mentioned three times in the book of Daniel , but most notably in the following passage: At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not been since the beginning of nations until that same time... But at that time your people, everyone whose name is written in the book, will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, and others to shame and everlasting contempt. The wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12)

The Archangel Angel in the Old Testament

In the Old Testament , He is implicitly named in Joshua 5:14-15 ( He answered, Nay, but I am the captain of the host of the LORD; now am I come; Joshua fell on his face to the ground, and worshipped him, and said to him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the host of the LORD said unto Joshua, Put off thy shoes from off thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so. ) and in Zechariah 3:2 ( The LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee! Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? ). Being here called "the personal Angel of the Lord,"

We can find his figure in Genesis 16:7 where he is called the angel of the Lord which links to I Corinthians 10:4 which in turn links to Exodus 3:2 and 23:21 which links to Isaiah 9:5 and 63:9 and is then found in Judges 2:1 and revealed in the link between Malachi 3:1 and Mark 1:2 and Psalm 106:20 and John 1:1.

The Archangel Angel in the New Testament

In the New Testament , Michael is referred to as an archangel in Jude 9. In Revelation John 12:7-8 ( And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. And the dragon fought and his angels, but they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven.), Michael is the angel who leads the angels into battle against the dragon, representing the devil, and defeats him.

Michal in non-canonical books

There are many apocryphal writings from the Old and New Testaments in which the Archangel Michael appears in various capacities. For example, in the Apocalypse of Baruch, it is written that he holds the keys to Paradise. In the Life of Adam and Eve , it is said that he was the one who taught Adam how to cultivate the earth.

He is also present in the Apocalypse of Moses, where he dictates to the children of Adam and Eve the ritual duties towards the dead. The Gospel of Bartholomew reveals that it was he who brought God the earth and water necessary to create Adam. In the Ascension of Isaiah, it is said that it was he who removed the stone from the tomb of Jesus.

In the Revelation of the Mother of God, he accompanied the Virgin on an infernal journey to show her the punishments to which the damned are subjected.

Pope Leo's Prayer for Saint Michael

For most of the 20th century, the faithful recited the prayer to St. Michael at the end of Mass. Pope Leo XIII (died 1903) had a prophetic vision of the coming century of sorrow and war. After celebrating Mass, the Holy Father spoke with his cardinals. Suddenly, he fell to the ground. The cardinals immediately called for a doctor. No pulse was detected, and it was feared that the Holy Father was dead. Just as suddenly, Pope Leo awoke and said: What a horrible sight I saw! In this vision, God gave Satan the choice of a century in which to do his worst work against the Church. The devil chose the twentieth century. The Holy Father was so moved by this vision that he composed the prayer to the Archangel St. Michael : St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle!

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and may you, Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all other evil spirits who wander about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Pope Leo ordered the prayer to be said at the end of Mass in 1886 .

St. Michael in religions

In the Catholic Church

At one point, at the end of each Mass, the priest would pray: "Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our help against the wickedness and snares of the devil. Order the Lord to command him, and you, prince of the heavenly militia, plunge into hell, with your divine power, Satan and all the other evil spirits who roam the world for the perdition of souls."

This prayer, placed at a strategic moment in the liturgy, that is, when the faithful are about to pass from the solemnity of the rite to its concrete translation in the agitation of daily life, bears witness to the ancient tradition of the cult of the Archangel Saint Michael, living among Christians. An ancient and widespread devotion in our life.

Saint Michael is the angel who is close to us in the small and large daily battles against the suggestions of evil, against those forces that want us to slide into the whirlwind of perversion and sin and that at the end of life he guides us (this is also a task that tradition attributes to him) at the moment of death and then is at our side, advocate, on the day of the final judgment. Thanks to his tenacity in the fight against evil, Michael is considered the protector of evil .

The Angel Michael in Judaism

According to the interpretations of the Jewish religion, the angel Michael, who is a seraph , supports the people of Israel and represents the Kohen Gadol in the high regions, he is in fact related to the Sefirah Chessed and is called "Great" like the people of Israel. The angel Michael revealed to the matriarch Sarah, Abraham's wife, the birth of her son Isaac; he also spoke to Abraham in the episode of the ordeal of the sacrifice of Isaac.

"...Samek refers to Michael who supports Israel, defends it and attests to its righteousness. Without him, who speaks to us well, we would no longer be in the world but he says to the Holy One, blessed be He, "Israel professes Unity by proclaiming: "Who is like God? (Mi ka El)", as it is written: "Who is like you among the gods, O Lord (Ex15.11) ... Michael reigns over all the princes (the angels)"

In the Hebrew explanation, there are several rabbinical opinions on whether the angel who wrestled with Jacob was Michael or Samael: according to the text of El'azar of Worms, when God asked the seraphim angel Michael , leader of the angels, why he had wounded him. He replied that it was for the good of Jacob himself and his descendants, the people of Israel. When Jacob wanted to hold him back further as dawn approached and the time of the song that the angels address to God, the angel Michael began to "cry out" and "weep", began the song of the Earth, made blessings on Jacob and his descendants forever. Finally, according to the Divine Will, the angel Michael then called the angel Raphael, guardian angel of healing, to heal Jacob but according to others, he was healed by the rising sun.

The Chief of Angels in Islam

The name Mīkāʾīl (Arabic: ميخائيل ‎), or Mīkīl (Arabic: ﻣﻴﻜﻴﻞ ‎), is mentioned in the Qur'an in Surah II, verse 98. He is considered to be of equal rank with Jibrīl (Gabriel). According to tradition, with the latter, he instructed the Prophet Muhammad and, according to another tradition, his characteristic is that he never laughs.

The Angel of the Lord in Adventism

Adventist churches identify Jesus with the archangel Michael. In this view, Michael is the first and greatest of all God's creatures . Simplistically, this is stated by the Bible, which mentions only one archangel by name, Michael, and by the First Letter to the Thessalonians (4:16), in which St. Paul says of Jesus: "For the Lord will descend from heaven with a command and with the voice of an archangel."

In this view, archangel would mean leader of the angels rather than chief angel, and how this title would be close to the "prince" that Daniel uses.

Christian theologians, both Catholic and Protestant, agree in identifying, in the Old Testament, the Angel of the Lord (in the singular) as a prefiguration of Christ; therefore a theophany.

Michael according to Jehovah's Witnesses

In his pre-human existence, Jesus was also known as the "Word of God," which Jehovah's Witnesses interpret as "the spokesman of the Father" (John 1:1), and he is also known as Michael, because of his unique role as archangel or "chief of the angels" and commander against Satan. Jesus is also identified by Jehovah's Witnesses based on certain Bible passages (see for example Daniel 12:1-7) with the archangel Michael as the leader of the angelic army battling the Devil and his army in Revelation.

Places of veneration of the archangel

In the life of Pope Gregory I, as reported in the Golden Legend, it is said that during a terrible plague, at the end of a procession with the singing of litanies instituted by the Pope around the city of Rome, Gregory saw Saint Michael appear on the Castel Sant'Angelo, placing his sword in its scabbard, a sign that the prayers had been heard and that the terrible epidemic was about to end. To commemorate the episode, a statue of the Archangel was erected on the monument.

Another place of veneration of the Archangel Michael is the small French island of Mont Saint-Michel . Here, according to legend, the Archangel Michael appeared in 709 to Saint Hubert, Bishop of Avranches, asking that a church be built on the rock. However, the bishop ignored the request twice until Saint Michael burned his skull with a round hole caused by the touch of the finger, leaving him alive. The skull of Saint Hubert with the hole is preserved in the Avranches Cathedral.

The cult of Saint Michael was very dear to the Lombards and in Italy, the Archangel Michael is the patron saint of many cities . On Mount Pirchiriano, in the territory of Sant'Ambrogio di Torino, the Lombards built a small aedicule dedicated to the Archangel St. Michael.

Saint Michael the Archangel: Medal and Jewelry

We were able to see together the full extent of the knight angel Saint Michael. Saint Michael is the angel who protects us against Satan and all evil spirits . He guides all the faithful towards the right path. Thanks to Saint Michael, many people manage to detach themselves from the influences of Satan and to fully follow the path of religion where all beings are pure and holy.

Moreover, if Saint Michael had not had so much importance in the Christian religion, all the representations in his image: statues, jewelry, clothing and others, would not have seen the light of day. Without forgetting that an article of Saint Michael is very effective to feel protected (just like the soldiers of the army and the police do). If you wish to keep a symbol in the image of the archangel Michael , you can discover our jewelry of Saint Michael having been designed by craftsmen dedicated to the manufacture of Christian jewelry.