Assisi is a small Umbrian town in central Italy. Assisi is best known as the birthplace of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of Italy, founder of the Franciscan order, and one of the most popular Catholic saints. Assisi’s main attraction is the 13th century Basilica of St. Francis.
The town of Assisi has beautiful winding medieval streets, and has been a major Catholic pilgrimage destination for centuries. Today, it is also one of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy. Though it is frequented by many tourists a year, the beautiful town remains quiet and clean.
Our first stop of the day was the Basilica of St. Francis with Maura, our regional tour guide. The church’s construction began in 1228, immediately after the consecration of St. Francis, and was completed in 1253. The lower church has frescoes by renowned late-medieval artists. The upper church has frescoes of scenes in the life of St. Francis. In September of 1997, part of the vault of the upper church collapsed due to an earthquake, and killed four people inside the church, two friars and two architects. There is now a plaque of remembrance situated in the floor of the basilica where they were standing. The fresco that was damaged has been almost completely restored.
After a beautiful walk through town, we visited the Basilica of St. Clare, a 13th century church that is dedicated to and contains the remains of St. Clare of Assisi, a follower of St. Francis of Assisi. Clare’s remains, though hidden for centuries, were found in 1850. The Assisians unearthed and opened the coffin, and although the flesh and clothing of the saint had been reduced to dust, the skeleton was in a perfect state of preservation. ...