Assisi

Basilica of St Francis, Assisi 

The visitor to Assisi cannot help but wonder at the immense structure that slopes up the hill upon which Assisi is built. The series of buildings is the “Sacro Convento”, Holy Monastery. Constructed in the beautiful mellow stone of Mount Subasio, it is the foundation for the churches and chapels built soon after the death of Francis to house his remains.
What would the “Little Poor Man” have thought of this immense structure? What is its purpose? One thing he would have liked is that the land was once the rubbish dump for the city and the place of execution. He would have wanted his burial place suited to his opinion of his humble status. Yet the fact that the area was in such a steep slope, which made it ideal for rubbish dumping, was the cause of the arches and bulwarks that attempted so successfully to stop the edifice from tumbling down the hill. The slope of Mount Subasio was suitable for the great basilica for it was an empty space and yet adjacent to the medieval city. Friar Elias was anxious to move the body of St Francis from its temporary resting place in the San Georgio chapel to a more secure and splendid place. This accounts for the haste in which the building was completed. Francis died in 1226, the first part of the Sacro Convento was begun in 1228, just after the canonization of St Francis. The lower church and accommodation for the friars was completed in 1230!
As we draw nearer the city the Gothic arches of the convento hide the Lower church. We begin our pilgrimage at the lower carpark and stroll quietly up the curving street till we gain the arcades, the pilgrimage shelters of the lower Piazza. These border the sides of the square on three sides and gently follow the slope of the hill. Once pilgrims would camp in these shelters. Now the area has been made famous by the late pope’s meetings with leaders of world religions. The square opens on the left to the entrance of the convento and beside it to that of the Lower Basilica.

The Lower Basilica

Here, over our heads, is a wonderful portal that celebrates the story of Assisi’s special saints – Clare and Francis. Once inside we are immediately struck by the mystic half light only faintly interrupted by the soft rays filtered through the stained glass windows. We pause to take in the chapels that line the walls, but our eyes are directed to the altar, square in its simplicity, bordered with beautiful blue lamps that detail its carving. Upon the vault of this sanctuary are the famous paintings of the three allegories, the virtues beloved of Francis: Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. In the last vault is “The Glory of Francis” a picture of St Francis in heaven, clothed in rich vestments and seated on a brocaded throne. At another time these allegories will be described in greater detail. The transept at each side of the sanctuary contains the famous picture of St Francis by Cimabue, and the beautiful sunset Madonna on the opposite wall. On each end we have the story of the life of Christ from his birth to his crucifixion and resurrection. One time when I was visiting the church I noticed a group of Asian tourists being guided by a friar. As they contemplated the fresco of the crucifixion the friar explained that seeing Mary crumpled in sorrow at the foot of the cross was comforting to people of the time when so many had lost husbands and children to violence and the Crusades. The tourists were being introduced to the Christian story in much the same way as the original artists had intended for the people of their time. We notice the details of the frescos in which the ordinary life of the Assisians of the day is reproduced in the furnishings of the dining room for the Last Supper, and in the scenes of the early life of Jesus. Behind the altar are the choir stalls where the community celebrate the Prayer of the Church each day. Just in front of the altar is an aperture through which the tomb of St Francis can be seen. Now it is time to go to the steep stairs to find the ancient tomb, hidden for so many centuries deep in the rock.
The Tomb of St Francis

Little more than 100 years ago the friars were able to locate this tomb, and begun excavating a small chapel to surround the tomb. As you can see from the photo, this is carved in the rock with a medieval “padlock” for security. A little chapel has been carved to face this altar. It is always filled with pilgrims who use its secluded space for quiet prayer. A circular passage has been carved round the tomb to allow access for a small sacristy and there we find at each corner of the space the tombs of Francis’ first companions: Leo, Angelo, Rufino and Masseo. “Brother Jacopa” is not forgotten for this friend, who made him the food and cakes that she brought at his last illness, is buried half way up the staircase that leads to the Lower Church.
So we leave the chapel of the tomb by these stairs, walk again through the Lower Church noting the small chapels with their beautiful frescos, and ascend the stairs at the right side of the altar. These give onto the Great Cloister of the ancient “convento” with its colonnade and well in the middle. Some of the old rooms are now given over to a little museum which houses the treasures endowed upon it by the pope when he laid the foundation stone in 1228. Also the trumpet that the Sultan gave Francis in Egypt and his letter to Brother Leo can be found in these rooms. Beside it is a shop for souvenirs. But our journey is not yet over because up another flight of stairs is the Upper Church, what we saw on our approach -- the church that apparently floats above the whole building.

The Upper Basilica

The Upper Church was completed fifty years after the lower one and is of Gothic style. The walls are famous for the story of Francis’ life painted by Giotto, while the sanctuary, apse and transepts have been painted by Cimabue and his assistants. The choir stalls for the community have wood pictures made with inlaid wood. As we leave the church we find the beautiful grassy area which opens onto the Via San Francesco and the way into the town. From the terrace of this area there is a wonderful view of the countryside and in the evening the sunsets behind the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels.
Truly this complex of buildings constructed to receive the body of St Francis and for a dwelling for his friars reminds us of the heritage of prayer and devotion that has been cherished by the town of Assisi and by the friars. Countless pilgrims have entered its many doors over the eight centuries of its existence. It has stood the test of time though built so quickly. The very difficult terrain was overcome by the wisdom of Brother Elias and his architects. It was one of the first Gothic buildings using the system of supports and arches, and to this day remains strong.
The earthquake of 1998 damaged the Upper Church and when the friars and engineers were inspecting this a second quake killed four of them. This tragedy is but one of the many that the venerable old building has seen. Napoleon used it to stable his horses, driving the friars away; the Risorgamento took over the buildings of the convento for an orphanage, and only restored the historic site when the friars built another for the children; in World War II it was occupied again.

Today as we leave Assisi the Sacro Convento lies bathed in sunlight, dreaming above the town, its pietra serena stone a symbol of prayer and reflection.
The Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (Italian: Basilica Papale di San Francesco d’Assisi, Latin: Basilica Sancti Francisci Assisiensis) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor, commonly known as the Franciscan Order, in Assisi (Italy), the birthplace of St. Francis. Burial place of St. Francis, the basilica is one of the most important places of Christian pilgrimage in Italy. The basilica, which was begun in 1228, is built into the side of a hill and comprises two churches known as the Upper Church and the Lower Church, and a crypt where the remains of the saint are interred. With its accompanying friary, the basilica is a distinctive landmark to those approaching Assisi. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
The interior of the Upper Church is important as an early example of the Gothic style in Italy. The Upper and Lower Churches are decorated with frescoes by numerous late medieval painters from the Roman and Tuscan schools, and include works by Cimabue, Giotto, Simone Martini, Pietro Lorenzetti and possibly Pietro Cavallini. The range and quality of the works gives the basilica a unique importance in demonstrating the development of Italian art of this period. The grandiose, gorgeously embellished Basilica di San Francesco (Basilica of St. Francis) in Assisi is a rather incongruous memorial to a man who preached and lived a simple life of poverty, abstinence, and renunciation of worldly goods in search of greater spirituality. But the bi-level basilica is one of the world’s focal points of both high art and intense spirituality. Still a major place of pilgrimage, the Basilica of St. Francis is a powerful place for believers and art-lovers alike.