Religious, Spiritual sights in Assisi
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Basilica di San Francesco Lower Church
The Basilica di San Francesco Lower Church was built between 1228 and 1230. The stained-glass windows are the work of master craftsmen brought in from Germany, England and Flanders during the 13th century, and were quite an architectural feat at that time.
In the centre of the lower church, above the main altar, are four frescoes attributed to Maestro delle Vele, a pupil of Giotto, that represent what St Francis called 'the four greatest allegories'. The first was the victory of Francis over evil, and the other three were the precepts his order was based on: poverty, obedience and chastity.
Lorenzetti's triptych in the left transept ends with his most famous and controvers…
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Basilica di San Francesco Upper Church
The Basilica di San Francesco Upper Church was built just after the lower church, between 1230 and 1253, and the change in style and grandiosity is readily apparent. One of the most famous pieces of art in the world is the 28-part fresco circling the walls. The fresco has been attributed to Giotto and his pupils for hundreds of years, but the question of who produced it is now under debate within the art-historian community.
The fresco starts just to the right of the altar and continues clockwise around the church. Above each image is a corresponding biblical fresco with 28 corresponding images from the Old and New Testament (possibly painted by Giotto, or Pietro Cavallin…
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Basilica di Santa Chiara
Basilica di Santa Chiara is 13th-century Romanesque, with steep ramparts and a striking facade. The white and pink stone that makes up the exterior here (the same stone that makes many buildings in Assisi look like they glow in the sunlight) came from nearby Subasio. The daughter of an Assisian nobleman, St Clare was a spiritual contemporary of St Francis and founded the Sorelle Povere di Santa Chiara (Order of the Poor Ladies), now known as the Poor Clares. She is buried in the church’s crypt. The Byzantine cross that is said to have spoken to St Francis is also housed here.
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Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli
A quick walk from the train station is the imposing Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli, built between 1565 and 1685 around the first Franciscan monastery and tiny Porziuncola Chapel. Perugino fans will appreciate his intact crucifixion, painted on the rear wall. St Francis died at the site of the Cappella del Transito on 3 October 1226.
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Santuario di San Damiano
The Santuario di San Damiano is where St Francis first heard the voice of God and where he wrote his Canticle of the Creatures. The serene locale is popular with pilgrims, as you can practically feel the spirit of St Francis and St Clare (who died here in 1253) at the simple church.
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Duomo di San Rufino
The 13th-century Romanesque Duomo di San Rufino, remodelled by Galeazzo Alessi in the 16th century, contains the fountain where St Francis and St Clare were baptised. The facade is festooned with grotesque figures and fantastic animals.
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Chiesa Nuova
The Chiesa Nuova was built by King Philip III of Spain in the 1600s on the spot reputed to be the house of St Francis’ family. Mass is said daily at 7am, with an extra service on holidays at 10am.
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