In the year 1205 Franciscus of Assisi was praying in the small church of San Damiano when suddenly the crucified Christ began speaking to him. Christ told Franciscus that his house was being destroyed and that Franciscus should go out and rebuild it. At first, the future saint took the…
The church of San Pietro cannot boast of any fantastic works of art, so why visit it? What the church does have, is a nice façade that – rather surprisingly – turns out to be incomplete. The dome of the San Pietro also warrants closer inspection. Especially at dusk, when…
“Of all the Roman monuments at the end of the thirteenth century, the most Roman was, paradoxically, the double basilica of San Francesco in Assisi, the mother church of the new order of Franciscan friars”.[1] I can only agree with this assessment by Giotto expert Francesca Flores d’Arcais. The Basilica…
The Rocca Maggiore is the former citadel of Assisi, the eagle’s nest towering high above the town. It is a stiff but rewarding climb to get there: the Rocca offers a panoramic view of Assisi itself, the valley down below, the Umbrian countryside and the imposing Monte Subasio. From the…
By far the most important object kept in Assisi’s cathedral of San Rufino is the baptismal font that was used during Saint Franciscus’ christening in 1181 or 1182. It was also used for the baptism of Chiara Offreduccio (ca. 1193/94-1253), the future Saint Clara of Assisi, and perhaps for that…
In 1212, a young woman from a wealthy family named Chiara Offreduccio (ca. 1193/94-1253) heard the future Saint Franciscus of Assisi preach at the cathedral of Assisi. She was immediately entranced by his message of radical poverty and unconditional devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. Chiara – also known as…
It is an easy 15 minute walk from Assisi’s Porta Nuova to the church and convent of San Damiano down in the valley. Visitors looking for great art and architecture are likely to be disappointed here, but the place is of immense spiritual importance. In 1205, Franciscus of Assisi was…
Saint Franciscus of Assisi, one of the most famous saints in the history of the Catholic Church, was born in late September of the year 1181 or 1182. There is no way to know for certain whether it was the former or the latter year, but in Assisi most people…
The pleasant town of Assisi, with a population of just over 28,000 souls, is situated on the western slopes of the Monte Subasio. The town has Umbrian and Etruscan roots and was known as Asisium during the Roman era. In 89 BCE, Asisium was granted the status of a municipium…