Things to Do in Assisi

The Basilica di Santa Chiara in Assisi is dedicated to Saint Clare of Assisi, the founder of the Order of Poor Ladies, today known as the Order of Saint Clare. After she passed away in 1260, Saint Clare’s remains were transferred to the church and buried under the high altar. Her tomb was discovered again in 1850 and eventually, her skeleton was moved to a shrine in a newly built crypt of the basilica. It remains on display today in the east end of the crypt.

The exterior of the basilica is notable for its horizontal stripes of pink and white stone and its campanile, which is the tallest in Assisi. Inside, the walls of the dimly lit nave are now white, although they were covered in frescoes until the 17th century. Elsewhere in the church, frescoes dating to the 13th and 14th centuries still remain. To the south of the nave is a small chapel that holds the 12th century crucifix that is said to have spoken to Saint Francis of Assisi. The high altar is surrounded by a colonnade of 12 polygonal columns that date to the 15th century.

Despite its modest white façade, flanked by four simple Doric pilasters, the Chiesa Nuova, or New Church, is one of Assisi’s most historically important churches, founded on the site of the house of Saint Francis’ home and birthplace. A church has stood on this spot since the 14th century, but the modern-day structure dates back to the early 17th century, when it was built under patronage of King Philip III of Spain, and has since become a significant landmark for pilgrims.

The most notable features of the Renaissance-style Chiesa Nuova are the colorful frescoes by Cesare Sermei and Giacomo Giorgetti that adorn the interiors and the adjoining museum and library that offer greater insight into the site’s unique history.

The town of Assisi in Umbria is one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in Europe, thanks to the saint who was born – and is buried – there.

When Saint Francis, founder of the Franciscan Order, died in 1226, plans for a basilica dedicated to him were begun. Construction of the Basilica di San Francesco started in 1228, and the basilica was consecrated in 1253. It is actually a complex of two churches, an upper and lower, built into a hillside. The interiors of both churches were frescoed by artists of the era whose names are familiar to us today – including Giotto and Cimabue. St. Francis' tomb is in the crypt, and is what both pilgrims and tourists line up to see.

In 1997, two earthquakes hit Umbria within minutes of one another, but it was an aftershock that shook the basilica in Assisi. Many of the original Giotto frescoes in the Upper Basilica were destroyed, and the vault collapsed, killing four people. The church was closed until 1999 while restoration work took place.

The lovely Mannerist church of Santa Maria degli Angeli was built on the plain below hilltop Assisi and was over a century in the making between 1569 and 1679. It was commissioned by Pope Pio V to accommodate the influx of pilgrims to worship at the Cappella Porziuncola, the hermitage where St Francis prayed in the early 13th century and founded the order of Franciscan monks.

Designed by Perugian architect Galeazzo Alessi, Santa Maria degli Angeli is one of the biggest Christian churches in the world, measuring a whopping 126 m (413.25 ft) long and 65 m (213.25ft) wide. It has a barnlike central nave and side aisles lined with chapels; frescoes by 18th-century artist Andrea Appiani adorn the walls of the basilica. The original 13th-century Cappella Porziuncola sits directly underneath the

great central dome, now protected from the elements for posterity. The Cappella del Transito is close by and marks the exact spot where Francis died in 1226; it displays the saint’s simple rope belt and a terracotta portrait by Andrea della Robbia, executed in 1490. Both chapels are frescoed with scenes depicting his visions.

Outside the basilica is the Rose Garden, all that remains of the forests of Monte Subasio that surrounded Francis’s hermitage. The adjacent 15th-century friary houses the Porziuncola Museum, founded by Franciscan friars in 1924 and exhibiting religious art and reliquaries from the 13th and 14th centuries.

The 13th-century Fontana Maggiore is undoubtedly the main attraction in Piazza IV Novembre and not only because of its size. The huge area was built in the late 1270s and sits in a prominent location between Perugia's cathedral and the Palazzo dei Priori. It was sculpted by a father-son team from pink and white marble. They depicted scenes from the Old Testament, legends about the founding of Perugia, as well as symbols of the city.

 

The construction of the fountain was part of a host of city-wide renovations marking Perugia's becoming autonomous, which is why many of the symbols on the fountain promote civic pride. The piazza itself is named for the day World War I ended in Italy.