Assisi Things to Do

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The Basilica of Saint Clare (Basilica di Santa Chiara) is a church in Assisi. It is dedicated to and contains the remains of Saint Clare of Assisi, a follower of Saint Francis of Assisi and founder of the Order of Poor Ladies, known today as the Order of Saint Clare.
After having remained hidden for six centuries - like the remains of St. Francis - and after much search had been made, Clare's tomb was found in 1850.

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The Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (Saint Mary of the Angels) is a church situated in the plain at the foot of the hill of Assisi in the frazione of Santa Maria degli Angeli.
The basilica was constructed in the Mannerist style between 1569 and 1679 enclosing the 9th century little church, the Porziuncola, the most sacred place for the Franciscans. It was here that the young Francis of Assisi understood his vocation and renounced the world in order to live in poverty among the poor and thus started the Franciscan movement.

You can watch my 2 min 37 sec Video Assisi Basilica of Santa Maria out of my Youtube channel or here on VT.

The Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor—commonly known as the Franciscan Order—in Assisi the city where St. Francis was born and died.
The basilica is one of the most important places of Christian pilgrimage in Italy. With its accompanying friary, the basilica is a distinctive landmark to those approaching Assisi. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.

The basilica, which was begun in 1228, is built into the side of a hill and comprises two churches known as the Upper Church and the Lower Church, and a crypt where the remains of the saint are interred. The interior of the Upper Church is an important early example of the Gothic style in Italy. The Upper and Lower Churches are decorated with frescoes by numerous late medieval painters from the Roman and Tuscan schools, and include works by Giotto.

Unfortunately it was forbidden to take photos and videos inside the Sacro Convento and the Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi

The Sacro Convento is a Franciscan friary in Assisi. The friary is connected as part of three buildings to the upper and lower church of the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi, where the friars custody with great reverence the body of Saint Francis. St. Francis wanted to be buried at this location outside of Assisi's city walls, called Hill of Hell (Collo d'Inferno - here were the gallows where criminals were put to death).
The Conventual Franciscans consider Assisi as the mother town and the monastery as spiritual centre of their order.

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One of the older sites within an ancient city, the former Temple of Minerva, now a Christian church (Santa Maria sopra Minerva) is one of Assisi's "must-sees."

The entire Roman facade, with its six splendid Corinthian columns, remains from the first century BC. Note - the tower is not part of the Roman Temple, but a later construction. The classical structure faced a major piazza when built, as it does today (Piazza del Comune). Archeologists unearthed a female statue at the location and assumed the temple was dedicated to Minerva, the goddess of wisdom. The later discovery of a plaque indicates a higher likelihood the temple was actually devoted to Hercules, but Minerva's name remains - Temple of Minerva is a catchier title, anyway. There is also belief among scholars that the old piazza was the site of the execution of early Christians.

After several centuries of abandonment, 6th century Benedictine monks began to restore and utilize the space. From the 13th to the early 16th century, the temple served as city jail, but was then returned to sacred use. In 1539, Pope Paul III ordered the inner sanctum to be completely restored and dedicated to the Virgin Mary "queen of true wisdom."

As you can see from the attached photos, the church nave is decorated in an extravagant Baroque style. It is beautiful, but the contrast to the classical exterior is nonetheless a shock to the senses.

Next to the Municipal Tower stands the Temple of Minerva which was re-converted into the Church of S. Maria sopra Minerva. The temple was re-converted in the first half of the 16th century, with Baroque transformations added at later date.
The construction is a superb example of a temple of the Augustan period (1C B.C.). Worthy of note is the beautiful pronaos, formed by six fluted columns, which rise up from a flight of steps, with Corinthian capitals supporting a triangular tympanum.

This beautiful fountain, erected in the year 1570, is situated next to Portico del Monte Frumentario and it is worthy of your attention.
The running water from the fountain is very cold and drinkable.
In the hot summer days, as it was during my visit to Assisi, you can stop here and refresh yourself.

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Names: Duomo di San Rufino; Assisi Cathedral
Type of site: Cathedral
Location: Piazza San Rufino, Assisi, Italy
Museo: 075-812-712 or if no answer 347-874-0224
Hours: Church, daily 7am-noon and 2pm-sunset. Crypt and Museo Capitolare, Thurs-Tues: Mar 16-Oct 15 daily 10am-1 and 3-6pm (Aug 10am-6pm); Oct 16-Mar 15 10am-1pm and 2:30-5:30pm
Cost: Free admission to the church; crypt and Museo della Cattedrale, 3€ ($3.45) adults, 2.50€ ($2.90) ages 12-18 and seniors over 60

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