Eremo delle Carceri

Set on the southern slope of Mt. Subasio at an elevation of almost 800 meters above sea level, the Eremo delle Carceri is immersed in the greenery of a holm oak wood, surrounded by a series of natural caves and grottoes used as a refuge by hermits.

During the time of Saint Francis it consisted only of a small chapel where he would go on retreat with his first companions, in search of silence and contemplation.
This isolated, austere place was officially given to the Franciscans during the 14th century; in 1370-1373 Paoluccio Trinci had the first cells built around the Church of Santa Maria.

The present-day monastery is the result of the expansions carried out by Saint Bernardine of Siena in the 15th century, as attested by a monogram above the entrance to the refectory. The refectory is decorated with a late 16th-century fresco of the Last Supper. The refectory also has a number of plain tables from the 1400s, and from here we proceed to the upper floor, which is a dormitory with the friars’ cells.

The triangular cloister overlooking the gorge is dominated by two wells, and from the side leads to the monastery and the church dedicated to Mary. Leaving the cloister, you enter the Chapel of San Bernardino, above the altar of which are the Crucifixion and Saint Francis, from the latter half of the 1400s. Next to it, in the old chapel, is the Madonna and Child (1506) by Tiberio of Assisi on the wall of the altar. On the left is the choir, with wooden stalls that date back to the time of St. Bernardine; on the right there is a narrow staircase that descends into the Grotto of Saint Francis, divided into two rooms. In one room there is Francis’s stone bed, and in the other is the cell where the Saint used to preach and meditate.

Leaving the monastery, an enchanting walk begins to wind its way through the woods. Along the path you can visit the caves of Francis’s companions and the Mary Magdalene Chapel, which houses the tomb of Barnabas of Terni, founder of the Mounts of Piety, who died in the hermitage in 1477.

Assisi for everyone

Do you need more information on the accessibility of the monument? We have a dedicated section where you can find all the useful information for people with motor disabilities to visit Eremo delle Carceri