Preserved in one wing of the Basilica is the rose garden, linked to one of the most famous episodes in the life of Saint Francis. One night during his youth, to overcome a tremendous sense of agitation, Francis took off his clothes and dived into the bramble bushes around his home. The thorns miraculously vanished, and the bushes were transformed into roses. Francis, who had thus triumphed over temptation, had a vision of Christ and the Virgin bathed in sparkling light. To this day, the thornless rose variety of Rosa Canina Assisiensis grows in the garden.
