Photos of the Beautiful Papal Basilica St Francis Assisi

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Photos of the Beautiful Medieval Basilica St Francis Assisi, Basilica di San Francesco d’Assisi,Italy. Photographer Paul E Williams.    (TIP – use the icons below the slideshow for thumbnail photos and info)

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Photos of the Beautiful Papal Basilica St Francis Assisi

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Photos of The Papal Basilica of St Francis of Assisi ( Basilica Papale di San Francesco ), Assisi, Perugia Italy.

St Francis of Assisi

One of the great pilgrimage sites for Roman Catholics is the tomb of St. Francis in Assisi. St. Francis is one of the great saints of Roman Catholicism being the founder of two religious orders, the Order of Saint Francis for men and, the order of The poor Clares for women.

The Franciscan friary (Sacro Convento): the Lower and Upper Basilicas of Francis of Assisi were begun to honor St Francis immediately after his canonization in 1228.

Simone di Pucciarello donated the land for the church, a hill at the west side of Assisi, known as “Hill of Hell” (Italian: Colle d’Inferno). The site was where criminals were put to death. Today, this hill is called “Hill of Paradise”.

The Foundation of a Papal Basilica

On 16 July 1228, Francis was canonized by Pope Gregory IX in Assisi, and he laid the foundation stone of the new church the following day. The construction having been begun at his order, the Pope declared the church to be the property of the papacy.

Basilica of Saint Francis Design

Basilica of Saint Francis was designed and supervised by Brother Elias of Cortona, one of the first followers of St. Francis and the former Vicar General of the Order under St. Francis.

The Lower Basilica was finished in 1230. On Pentecost 25 May 1230, the uncorrupted body of St. Francis was brought in a solemn procession to the Lower Basilica from its temporary burial place in the church of St. George, now the Basilica of Saint Clare of Assisi. The burial place of St Francis had been concealed for fear that his remains might be stolen.

The Upper Basilica of Saint Francis

The construction of the Upper Basilica was begun after 1239 and was completed in 1253 when they were consecrated by Pope Innocent IV in 1253.

The Basilica of Saint Francis is a medieval art masterpiece. It is richly decorated with frecsco paintings by Cimabue, Pietro Lorenzetti, Simone Martini and Giotto. This has made the Basilique of Saint Francis a fundamental reference point for the development of Italian art and architecture.

Basilica of Saint Francis Paintings

Paintings in the Basilica of Saint Francis include allegories attributed to Giotto and his school in the presbytery, the Virgin with a Child on the Throne by Cimabue, and the Crucifixion by Giotto, the paintings by Pietro Lorenzetti and his assistants, and the Chapel of St-Martin by Simone Martini.

The upper Basilica of Saint Francis has a magnificent east front in white limestone, with a large rose window in the centre. The interior walls are decorated with series of paintings relating to the faith and life of the saint.

The Basilique of Saint Francis was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.