Treasure of the Basilica of St. Francis and the Perkins Collection

The Museum of the Treasure, the most important collection of mediaeval art in the region, is housed inside Palazzo Papale, built by Gregory IX, and can be accessed from the apse of the Lower Basilica of St. Francis.

The museum displays works of different genres, including paintings, sculptures, gold work, relics, religious books and sacred vestments, which the brothers of Assisi had received as gifts from popes and kings over time. The collection has been growing since the 13th century when, in 1230, the first artefacts were donated at the time the body of St. Francis was solemnly transferred into the Lower Church then housed in a secret room at the base of the bell tower. Unfortunately, over the years, some artefacts have been lost or stolen, as in 1798 when the Napoleonic troops looted the town.
In 1953, the Museum acquired the Perkins Collection, donated on the death of the American art historian, Frederick Mason Perkins, consisting of about fifty paintings on wood dating back to the 14th and 16th centuries, including works by Pietro Lorenzetti, Lorenzo Monaco and Sassetta, to which another 57 works of 13th-17th century Italian painting were added in the nineteen eighties.
Lastly, the museum also has an area dedicated to music, with musical instruments from the 17th and 18th century.