Papal Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Porziuncola

The village of Santa Maria degli Angeli, 4 kilometers away from Assisi, has developed since the 13th century. It began to develop more rapidly in the mid-19th century around its large Basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which dominates the plain with its massive bulk.

The church was built in the period from 1569 to 1679 by the Perugian architect Galeazzo Alessi, at the behest of Pope Pius V, to incorporate and protect some of the most important places in the life of Francis. It was here, at the Porziuncola, where Francis lived for many years; here, according to tradition, he founded the Order of Friars Minor (compare Franciscan sources 604), welcomed Saint Clare after her calling (compare Franciscan sources 3170), obtained the Porziuncola Indulgence (compare Franciscan sources 2706/10-11); and here, in the end, died on the night of October 3, 1226 (compare Franciscan sources 473). The large and well-lit interior is divided into a nave and side aisles, which open into chapels, decorated in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Entering, your eyes are drawn immediately to the Porziuncola, the original tiny church underneath the dome. When Francis first came to this little church in the early 13th century, it was overgrown with brush and was in a poor state of repair. Once restored, it was given to Francis by its owners, the Benedictine monks, and over time it became one of the most important places for the Order. The little church has a rectangular plan and is decorated with a splendid altarpiece painted in 1393 by Father Ilario da Viterbo, which depicts the Annunciation at the center surrounded by scenes of the Pardon of Assisi (the same theme depicted centuries later on the façade by Friedrich Overbeck).
The indulgence, or the forgiveness of all sins for those who had repented and entered the Porziuncola, was granted by Pope Honorius III in 1216.
Still today, in August of every year, thousands of the faithful can receive it.

The inside wall of the façade has a fragment of the Crucifixion by Perugino, the upper part of which was damaged during the construction of the choir (16th century). On the right side of the large Basilica’s chancel is the Chapel of the Transit, a small room where the convent’s infirmary was originally located and the place where Francis died. On the outside, Domenico Bruschi painted The Death and Funeral of Francis (19th cent.); the interior walls were frescoed by one of Perugino’s followers, Giovanni di Pietro, better known as Spagna, with images of Franciscan saints and blessed Franciscans.
From the Basilica you can enter the famous Rose Garden; here Francis threw himself into the thorns to overcome temptation by the devil (episode taken from the Liber sacrae indulgentiae S. Marie de Portiuncola by Francesco di Bartolo); this episode was painted together with the Pardon by Tiberius of Assisi in the Rose Chapel.

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 Papal Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Porziuncola