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City Info
| Umbria City Info |
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In this little town, laid on the spurs of Mount Subasio, it is normal that everything does remind of Saint Francis, even the most unrelated things to him and His Sister Poverty.
Don’t miss: the Lower and the Upper Basilicas of Saint Francis, Saint Mary of the Angels, the Saint Clare’s Convent and the monastery of Saint Damian.
The new Upper Basilica has been built in Gothic style, on the Romanic style of the Lower Basilica.
The Lower Basilica has became a monumental crypt, reserved for pilgrims and for the veneration of the relics of the Saint; The Basilic of Saint Francis was inaugurated in 1253 by Pope Innocenzo IV. The Lower and the Upper Basilicas are joint by a stair which is in the left transept. Some fresco-decorations followed to the architectural building: first some of Cimabue (1277) in the left transept; then some of Giotto, who started his big painting series of "Stories of Saint Francis", composed of 28 works of art. The construction of the Basilica of Saint Francis - or, more precisely, the construction of what today is called the Lower Basilica - started two years after the death of Saint Francis. Its style is Romanic-Lombard, with a unique nave and a wide transept. The mortal remains of Saint Francis have been kept in the Lower Basilica since 1230. In the Lower Basilica it is also possible to visit for free the splendid room with Saint Francis'relics; a small but significant collection of things belonged to the Saint; and - for pay - the "Museum of the Treasure".
Let's go from Assisi towards Saint Mary of the Angels: suddenly we'll see this Basilica standing out impressively against the countryside of Umbria. This Basilica, built during the Renaissance, protects and encloses the ancient and rural Porziuncola Chapel (whose origins are Benedictine) where Saint Francis founded the Franciscan Order in 1208; received Saint Clare in 1212; and died on the October 4th , 1226.
From 1212 to 1253, Saint Clare and her Poor Clares estabilished themselves in Saint Clare’s Convent, up to Saint Clare's death. The Convent is partially visitable crossing a brief itinerary. The first one covers it is "the capannuccia of mats in an angle of the house" where St. Francis wrote (in the first italic vernacular) the The Canticle of the Creatures. The run continues crossing the chapel of the Convent. Done go out of the Chapel you enter into the "Coretto of Saint Chiara" characterized from the furnish in wooden original and from the fresco of the Christ Crucifix. You continues then grazing the "Garden" or "the aiuola of praise on the servant." Here Saint Chiara told her sisters that: “When they saw the beautiful trees in bloom they begs God. When they saw the men and the other creatures they begs God” You climb the staircases and enter in the inside oratory to the Convent and from this you reach where the Dormitory on August 11 1253 Saint Chiara died surrounded by the faithful companions of St. Francis: brother Angelo, brother Leone and brother Ginepro and where as soon as two days before she had been visited by the Pope Innocenzo IV.
From Assisi, joining this monastery of Saint Damian is very easy, especially if you decide to go for a walk among the olive trees which is called "passeggiata tra gli ulivi". The monastery of Saint Damian has been very important to the religious path of the young Francis: in fact, in this country oratory he heard the Crucifix talking to him and saying: “Vade Francisco et repara domum meam”. Such words were enough to him to decide to sell his goods and repair the ancient oratory. And it was here, in the convent that Saint Francis wrote his “Laudes Creaturarum”.
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