| Many
years ago I read the story of St Francis of Assisi with great fascination.
With Assisi being just two hours from Rome by train, curiosity resulted
in a daytrip to the very quaint, quiet and beautiful little town
in Umbria.
The main attractions are the Basilica di San Francesco, the Basilica
di Santa Maria degli Angeli, the Basilica di Santa Chiara and the
Chapel & covenant of St Damien.
The Basilica di San Francesco (St Francis' Basilica) is the Monastery
& double-decker church of St Francis. The walls of the churches
are covered with frescos representing different scenes in the life
of the saint. From the Upper church, you can descend to the lower.
Here the Francsican Brothers still hold their services and in a
rock-hewn chamber above the alter is the crypt of St Francis.
The Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli (Chapel of St Mary of the
Angels) contains two chapels: the Porziuncola (1st Franciscan monastery)
and Cappella del Transito (where St Francis died in 1226).
The Ancient church of San Giorgio, now known as Basilica di Santa
Chiara (Church of St Clare), contains the
remains of St Clare, a friend of St Francis and the founder of the
Order of the Poor Clares.
In addition to these places many places in Assisi have connections
to St. Francis and I'm sure that ideally more than a day visit is
warranted to do the place real justice. Unfortunately I had only
one.
Intro
| Berlin | Prague
| Vienna | Munich
| Venice | Italy
to Monaco 2003 | Swiss | Rome4
| Assisi | Naples
|
