It’s said that while Francis was praying in front of the Crucifix of San Damiano, he heard the Saint asking him to repair his Church. Thinking the reference was to the little church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, which had fallen into ruins, Francis rebuilt it, and the little church, also known as Porziuncola, became the heart of Franciscan spirituality. Francis lived in this modest building, and it is where he gathered the first of the brethren who wanted to live the same, simple life as him, as well as Saint Clare, who founded the Order of the Poor Clares.
You may be wondering what the enormous building in front of you has to do with a modest little church, and you will have guessed that it can’t be the one I’ve been talking about. You’re right: this imposing church was built in the 16th century by the architect from Perugia, Galeazzo Alessi, to house not only the church, but also the whole Franciscan convent.
As you enter, you may be struck by a sensation of emptiness, but then you’ll spot – far away at the back of the huge interior – Saint Francis’s marvelously inviting, little church, painted with vibrantly colored frescoes on the inside.
On the right, look for the Chapel of the Transit, once the infirmary of the convent, where Francis died on 3 October 1226. The glazed terracotta statue of Saint Francis in the niche is by the fifteenth-century sculptor, Andrea della Robbia.
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.
Let me leave you with an interesting fact: Saint Francis is said to have spoken to nature and the animals. On your way to the rose garden, you might notice the statue of Francis with a white dove resting on his hand which looks as if it’s actually listening to the words of the saint.
