Morning: Assisi – visit to the “seraphic” city of San Francesco

Basilica of St. Francis: Universally celebrated, rich in immeasurable art treasures, home of St. Francis, Assisi is one of the artistic gems of Umbria and Italy. The centuries have not altered its typical medieval physiognomy, and today it appears to us as a city with precise urban characteristics, enriched with palaces and churches on which stands the mighty mass of the Basilica of San Francesco.

The Lower Basilica: Two years after the death of San Francesco, the construction of the Basilica of San Francesco began and, more precisely, of what we now call the Lower Basilica. Its shape is in Lombard Romanesque style with a single nave and a large transept. The mortal remains of St. Francis have been kept in the Lower Basilica since 1230. Currently the body of the saint is kept in the small crypt located under the central altar of the Basilica. Furthermore, at the four corners of the crypt, the bodies of the Blessed Friars Angelo, Leone, Masseo and Rufino have been placed.
The Basilica is beautifully frescoed with works attributed to Giotto, Cimabue or their pupils. Also in the Lower Basilica it is possible to visit the splendid room that houses the relics of St. Francis, a small but significant collection of objects that belonged to the saint and “The Treasure Museum”. The earthquake of September 1997 did not damage either the Lower Basilica nor the crypt containing the tomb of San Francesco.

The Upper Basilica: The construction of the Upper Basilica of Assisi is a direct consequence of the influence that the succession of new Fathers General of French origin to Friar Elia in 1239 had on the Order. A new Gothic-style basilica is built over the Romanesque form of the Lower Basilica. The Upper Basilica intended for official meetings and able to accommodate the Pope, sitting on the throne reserved for him. The Basilica of San Francesco was officially inaugurated by Pope Innocent IV in 1253.
The Lower and Upper Basilica are connected to each other by a staircase located in the left transept. The fresco decorations by Cimabue and then by Giotto followed the architectural realization with the beginning of the vast pictorial cycle of the “Stories of San Francesco”, consisting of 28 works. To these frescoes are added those painted on the transept and on the right aisle representing the cycles of the New and Old Testament executed by various “Masters” of the time. The frescoes painted on the vaults of the naves and transept complete the monumental work.

The Crypt, tomb of the Saint: Two stairways, in the middle of the nave of the lower church, lead to the crypt, discovered in 1818, in which the remains of Saint Francis brought there by Friar Elia are preserved. The current arrangement of the room, the work of the architect Ugo Tarchi, was carried out between 1926 and 1932. Behind the altar is the urn that houses the remains of the saint. In the walls of the small room, protected by grates, there are the burials of four followers of Francis, the blessed Rufino, Leone, Masseo and Angelo.

Afternoon: Santa Maria degli Angeli

The town takes its name from the sixteenth-century basilica of the same name, which dominates the entire plain at the foot of Assisi. In 576, a small chapel was built in the area by the Benedictines of the Monastery of San Benedetto del Monte Subasio. Around 1000, the area was known with the name of Cerreto di Porziuncle, due to the presence of a large wooded area. The chapel was restored by San Francesco in the 12th century, who died there in 1226: since then it has been identified with the name of the Porziuncola Chapel. The basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, seen from the churchyard. A convent and some small oratories were then added to the church. In 1216, St. Francis received a vision in which Jesus communicated that anyone who visited the church, duly confessed and communicated, would receive the forgiveness of sins. Honorius III approved this indulgence, and set the Feast of Forgiveness on 1 and 2 August of each year, which continues to attract a large number of religious tourists even today. In the second half of the 16th century, Pope Pius V had a mighty basilica built, designed by Galeazzo Alessi, as a shelter for the small Porziuncola, which has now become a crowded pilgrimage destination. The Porziuncola, seen from the central nave of the basilica.