Assisi and Saint Francis from Rome Private Day Tour

Santa Maria degli Angeli. It was one of the most significative places in the life of San Francis. Built at the end of 16th century, the church, the 7th world’s largest building, was conceived to house and unify the structures of the famous convent called Porziuncola, where the Saint choose to live , where he founded his Religious Order, and where he died October 3th, 1226. Pope Pius the 4th, commissioned the building of this magnificent edifice, whose project was entrusted to Galeazzo Alessi and completed one century later with the construction of the huge cupola.

Basilica of Saint Francis. San Francis died in 1226 and one year later Pope Gregory 9° gave order to construct a church in memory of Francis. The first church to be built was the inferior, then the superior superimposed the first. The church was consecrated in 1253 by Innocenzo 4°, and the overall work ended in 1367. The greatest painters of the time were summoned there to decorate the walls and the ceilings of the building. The sephulcre of San Francis in the crypt, was discovered only in 1818 but the Saint had already been buried in the church in 1230 before the inauguration. The right location of the tomb hasn’t ever been reveiled to prevent the barbarians and pirates from stealing the holy remains.

Basilica of Saint Clare. It was one of the most significative places in the life of San Francis. Built at the end of 16th century, the church, the 7th world’s largest building and, was conceived to house and unify the structures of the famous convent called Porziuncola, where the Saint choose to live , where he founded his Religious Order, and where he died October 3th, 1226. Pope Pius the 4th, commissioned the building of this magnificent edifice, which project was entrusted to Galeazzo Alessi and completed one century later with the construction of the huge cupola.

Basilica of Saint Damiano. This is another significative place in the life of Francis, the church of San Damaso. Here in 1205 the Saint would have heard a voice which said : . According to the reporter of the time, these words were uttered by the crucifix today held in the church of Saint Claire. The edifice indicated by the wooden crucifix was that of the future church of San Damaso ,then restored by Francis and his companions. Here too, Claire founded the convent where Francis would compose the Cantico. Apart from the spiritual value of the site, the shrine is worth visiting from an artistic-architectural point of view, due to the splendid oratory of Claire, the cloister frescoed by Eusebio da San Giorgio, and by the refectory hall.