From a document dated 1233, it appears that the small church of Sant’Angelo di Panzo had become the chapel of a Clarist monastery. Today, the site is privately owned and has been converted into a residential dwelling. The small church, where occasional services are still held, is in Romanesque style with a bell gable. The interior consists of a single small hall with a barrel vault (it was rebuilt in this style in 1604 by a family from Assisi using the same stones from the ancient ruined church).
**Description:** This is the church that Saint Clare used as a refuge after staying at the monastery of San Paolo delle Abbadesse and before moving to San Damiano.
**First recorded use:** 1212
**Type:** Object of worship not classifiable as an image or relic
**Collection of ex-votos:** Data not available
The earliest record of the church of Sant’Angelo di Panzo dates back to 1212, mentioned in the *Legend of Saint Clare*, along with another reference from 1217, when Pope Honorius III, ratifying and confirming the arbitration of Cardinals Ugolino and Cincio in the disputes between Bishop Guido of Assisi and the canons of San Rufino, listed the churches under the Cathedral’s jurisdiction, including Sant’Angelo di Panzo. However, the sanctuary has even older origins, as the cult of Saint Michael the Archangel in Umbria dates back to the Lombard rule.
By the 13th century, the fame of this place was tied to Saint Clare. Historical sources recount that Clare, after dedicating herself to God before the altar of the Porziuncola, retreated to the Benedictine monastery of San Paolo delle Abbadesse in an attempt to escape her disapproving family. After some time, guided by Saint Francis, Brother Philip, and Brother Bernard, she moved to the church of Sant’Angelo di Panzo and finally to the monastery of San Damiano.
Some scholars hypothesize that before 1212, a Benedictine women’s monastery may have existed near this church. However, others, due to a lack of sources, disagree with this theory, especially since in 1217, Sant’Angelo di Panzo belonged to the Cathedral of San Rufino along with 48 other chapels, none of which were Benedictine monasteries. Thus, they believe that in 1212, when Clare sought refuge there, Sant’Angelo was simply a church.
Later, it became the chapel of a Clarist monastery, as recorded in a 1233 document when the Commune of Assisi made donations to the nuns of Panzo. During this period, judging by the numerous bequests it received, the monastery enjoyed high repute and financial stability. In 1295, the monastery became autonomous, and the nuns were no longer obliged to obey or answer to the bishop or the church of Assisi.
In 1364, the church was expanded. By the 14th century, after the nuns moved to the city, Sant’Angelo was repurposed as a hermitage. In the 17th century, the monastery was owned by a family from Assisi who, in 1604, rebuilt the ruined small church using the same stones from the original structure. It is unclear when the sanctuary ceased to function, but records show that in 1745, services were still being held there. Today, the site remains privately owned, and services are only held occasionally.
There are two founding legends associated with this sanctuary:
1. The first, recounted in the *Legend of Saint Clare*, tells of her flight from her family home.
2. The second, collected by Angeli in *Collis Paradisi amoenitas* (1704) and cited by Fortini in *Nova Vita di San Francesco*, recounts that two brothers, consumed by hatred over the division of their inheritance, were about to kill each other when an angel sent by God appeared before them. Terrified, they fell to their knees, reconciled, and later converted their home into a monastery, dedicating the church to the “Angel of Peace” (*Sancti Angeli Pacis*), which over time became corrupted to Sant’Angelo di Panzo (though “Panzo” was actually a personal name). (Cf. Arnaldo Fortini, *Nova Vita di San Francesco II*, Santa Maria degli Angeli 1959, pp. 396-397).
In 1217, it was listed among the churches under the jurisdiction of the Cathedral of San Rufino.
Currently, liturgical services are entrusted to the parish priest, but no historical records exist regarding its past.
06081 Assisi, Province of Perugia, Italy
