Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli
P.zza Porziuncola Assisi
History Porziuncola
The Porziuncola of Assisi is a Gothic-style church consecrated in the 4th century. It was Saint Francis who restored it: while he was praying in front of the Crucifix of San Damiano, he heard a voice saying: “Go and repair my church.”
Key Facts
The Porziuncola of Assisi is a place dear to Saint Francis. Here the Saint devoted himself to prayer and understood his vocation: to live in poverty according to the Gospel. In 1205, he founded the Franciscan Order here. It is important to remember the Porziuncola also as a refuge for Saint Clare after she fled from her family; here Saint Francis welcomed her, and she embraced sister poverty. Near the Porziuncola, Saint Francis died on October 3, 1226, in this sacred place where now stands the Chapel of the Transit.
Important Days and Events
August 1-2
The Feast of Forgiveness begins on the morning of August 1 and concludes on the evening of August 2, days during which the Indulgence of the Porziuncola, granted here for all days of the year, extends to parish and Franciscan churches worldwide.
Description of the Porziuncola
-The entrance to the Porziuncola of Assisi is disproportionate, as is the side door opened in the 19th century to allow the flow of pilgrims. On the right exterior side, one of the oldest documents of the Order is affixed: the tombstone of Pietro Cattani, who died on March 10, 1221, when Francis was still alive. It is said that crowds of devotees flocked to his tomb, disturbing the friars’ prayers; Francis then urged Cattani to be obedient in death as he had been in life and ordered him to perform no more miracles. And so it happened.
-The Porziuncola of Assisi is a stone construction from Subasio, rectangular with a gabled roof and arched door, the interior is a single small hall with an apse.
-On the entrance arch, these words are inscribed: “Your request, Francis, I grant.” These are the words of Jesus accepting Saint Francis’ request: to all who, repentant and confessed, come to visit this church, grant ample and generous forgiveness, with complete remission of all sins. Note two other inscriptions: Hic locus sanctus est (this place is holy) and Haec est porta vitae aeternae (this is the gate of eternal life).
History of Construction and Expansions
-Some years after Saint Francis’ death, small chapels arose around the Porziuncola, which became burial places.
-In 1257, the bodies of the Saint’s companions were buried near the hut of Saint Francis, transformed into a chapel (the Chapel of the Roses). Behind the Porziuncola remained the cells of the memories of Francis’ companions, the small choir, the chapel where the Saint died, and the House of the Commune of Assisi, very large and built to host friars during feasts and general chapters.
For religious functions, a loggia and porticoes were built next to the Porziuncola to protect pilgrims during processions. There were also lodgings for pilgrims who came from everywhere; indeed, the Sanctuary, just a few years after Saint Francis’ death, assumed national and then European importance.
Santa Maria degli Angeli
-In 1569, Pope Pius V wanted to build the patriarchal basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli. He had the loggias where sermons were held for the Feast of Forgiveness demolished; the old sacristy; the papal apartment; the House of the Commune of Assisi; the chapel of the Holy Spirit, which commemorated the meeting between Saint Francis and Saint Clare; and also the old convent of the cross. The Renaissance Basilica resembles the Holy House of Loreto. The construction times were long, perhaps also due to the opposition of the friars who did not want to see the places frequented by Saint Francis fall under the pickaxe. It was completed more than a century later in 1679. It is a rectangular, apse-ended building, and the external appearance still retains the 1569 model despite the renovations after the 1832 earthquake. The dome, 75 meters high, rises on an octagonal drum, with large windows and ends in a lantern.
Inside the basilica, besides the Porziuncola, we find other places linked to Saint Francis, the most important being: the Chapel of the Transit, the Thornless Rose Garden, and the Chapel of the Roses. The Chapel of the Transit is the place where, according to legend, Francis breathed his last.
Outside, there is an 1886 fresco by Domenico Bruschi depicting the death and funeral of Saint Francis. The interior, closed by a wrought iron gate, preserves a reliquary with Saint Francis’ cord.
The Thornless Rose Garden is found exiting the sacristy, after a portico and a garden.
The Chapel of the Roses is composed of two parts: one built by Saint Bonaventure on the site of the hut inhabited by Saint Francis, the other more external part is an oratory.
Inside, the Stories of Forgiveness are painted. The basilica was completed in 1685.
The influx of tourists and devotees is still continuous and steady.
Songs
Dolce sentire (Brother Sun, Sister Moon)
Books/Movies
Piazza Porziuncola, 1, 06081 Assisi PG, Italy
