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The Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli) is a
Papal The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...
situated in the plain at the foot of the hill of
Assisi Assisi (, also , ; from la, Asisium) is a town and ''comune'' of Italy in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Monte Subasio. It is generally regarded as the birthplace of the Latin poet Propertius, born aroun ...
, Italy, in the ''
frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...
'' of Santa Maria degli Angeli. The basilica was constructed in the
Mannerist style Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, ...
between 1569 and 1679, enclosing the 9th-century little church, the
Porziuncola Portiuncula, also spelled Porziuncola or Porzioncula, is a small Catholic church located within the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels in Assisi in the ''frazione'' of Santa Maria degli Angeli, situated about from Assisi, Umbria (centra ...
, the most sacred place for the
Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...
. It was here that the young
Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...
understood his vocation and renounced the world in order to live in poverty among the poor, and thus started the Franciscan movement.


History

After the death of Saint Francis in 1226, the friars built several small huts around the Porziuncola. In 1230, a refectory and some adjacent buildings were added. In the course of time, little porticoes and accommodations for the friars were added around the Porziuncola. Some foundations of these were discovered during excavations under the floor of the present basilica between 1967 and 1969. As vast numbers of pilgrims came flocking to Assisi to receive the "
Pardon of Assisi Portiuncula, also spelled Porziuncola or Porzioncula, is a small Catholic church located within the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels in Assisi in the ''frazione'' of Santa Maria degli Angeli, situated about from Assisi, Umbria (centr ...
", the small space of the Porziuncola became completely inadequate to house all these pilgrims. The necessity grew to build a church incorporating the Porziuncola. The buildings around the shrine were taken down by order of
Pope Pius V Pope Pius V ( it, Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri, O.P.), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1566 to his death in May 1572. He is v ...
(1566–1572), except the Chapel of the Transito, the cell in which St. Francis had died. Construction of the basilica started on 25 March 1569. This majestic church, the seventh-largest Christian church, was designed in a bold Mannerist style, which prefigured the
Baroque style The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
, by two famous architects,
Galeazzo Alessi Galeazzo Alessi (1512 – 30 December 1572) was an Italian architect from Perugia, known throughout Europe for his distinctive style based on his enthusiasm for ancient architecture. He studied drawing for civil and military architecture under the ...
and
Vignola Vignola ( Modenese: ; Bolognese: ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Modena (Emilia-Romagna), Italy. Its economy is based on agriculture, especially fruit farming, but there are also mechanical industries and service companies. The c ...
. The work progressed slowly, due to a constant lack of money, as the building was financed with donations. The noteworthy dome, resting on an octagonal drum with eight windows and cornices, was finished in 1667. The construction of the church was finally completed in 1679. In 1684 a bell tower was added. It was originally intended to have a twin tower, but the second was never built. On 15 March 1832 the central
nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
, a part of a lateral aisle, and the choir collapsed during a violent earthquake. The dome escaped destruction but was left with a wide crack. The
apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...
and the side chapels were left standing. Reconstruction of the basilica started in 1836 by the architect Luigi Poletti and it was finished and reopened for worship in 1840. He remodeled the façade in a neoclassical style. Between 1924 and 1930 this façade was given back its original pre-Baroque style by Cesare Bazzani (Rome, 5 March 1873 – Rome, 30 March 1939). The gold-plated statue of the ''Madonna Degli Angeli'' ("Madonna of the Angels") by the sculptor Colasanti and cast by
Ferdinando Marinelli Artistic Foundry The Ferdinando Marinelli Artistic Foundry (Fonderia Artistica Ferdinando Marinelli also known as FAFM) is one of the last remaining Florentine foundries, producing works in bronze utilizing the Renaissance technique of lost-wax. A large number o ...
, was put on top of the façade in 1930. On 11 April 1909, the church was raised by Pope
Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...
to the status of " patriarchal basilica and papal chapel".


Description

The
basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...
has a rectangular ground plan, divided into a central nave and two lateral aisles, flanked by ten side chapels, with at the far end a
transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...
, and a long
choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
in a semi-circular apse, protruding from the ground plan. The Porziuncola is situated directly under the dome. The interior is simple and yet elegant, with only a few decorations, in stark contrast with the decorations of the side chapels. The nave and the aisles were rebuilt in neoclassical Doric style by Luigi Poletti. The apse holds the precious wooden choir, carved by Franciscan brothers starting in 1689, the papal
cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...
(with bas-reliefs by E. Manfrini) and the papal altar. The Chapel of the Transito, the cell in which St. Francis died, is still preserved. It is situated under the bay of the choir, against the right columns of the dome. The side chapels were decorated by great artists from several periods, including
Antonio Circignani Antonio Circignani (1560–1620) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance ( Mannerism) period and early Baroque. Born in Pomarance, he is known also as Antonio ''Pomarancio''. He was the son of the painter Niccolò Circignani, and with his ...
(all paintings in the Chapel of St Anne, 1602–1603),
Francesco Appiani Francesco Appiani (January 29, 1704 – 1792) was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque period, active mainly in Rome and Perugia. Biography Appiani was born in Ancona. He was a pupil of Domenico Simonetti, and then later moved to Rome to ...
, (Chapels of St. Anthony and St. Peter in Chains, 1756–1760), and
Ventura Salimbeni Ventura di Archangelo Salimbeni (also later called Bevilacqua; 20 January 1568 – 1613) was an Italian Counter-Maniera painter and printmaker highly influenced by the ''vaghezza'' and sensual reform of Federico Barocci. Biography Salimbe ...
(Chapel of the Removal of the Lord, 1602). Image:S.Maria.degli.Angeli07.jpg, St. Francis receives men and women into the Third Order of Penance, at Cannara; painting by Baldassare Croci (1602-1603) Image:S.Maria.degli.Angeli09.jpg, Wedding of the Virgin, painting by Antonio Circignani (Pomarancio) (1602-1603) Image:S.Maria.degli.Angeli10.jpg, St. John the Baptist baptizes Jesus in the Jordan; painting by Giorgetti di Assisi


The Porziuncola

The ''chiesetta'' (little church) of Porziuncola (Italian for "Little portion") is the most sacred place for
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
s. Francis was given this little church, dating from the 9th century, by the
Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...
monks. The church is decorated by artists from different periods. Above the entrance is the fresco by
Johann Friedrich Overbeck Johann Friedrich Overbeck (3 July 1789 – 12 November 1869) was a German painter. As a member of the Nazarene movement, he also made four etchings. Early life and education Born in Lübeck, his ancestors for three generations had been Protes ...
(1829) depicting St. Francis receiving from the Christ and the Virgin the indulgence, known as the “Pardon of Assisi”. The side wall on the right side shows fragments of two frescoes by an unknown
Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...
n artist. The austere interior is decorated in a simple
Gothic style Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
with frescoes from the 14th and the 15th century. The most outstanding work is the six-part fresco in the apse of this little church, painted by Ilario da Viterbo (1393). At the back, above the entrance, is a fresco depicting the ''Crucifixion'' by
Pietro Perugino Pietro Perugino (, ; – 1523), born Pietro Vannucci, was an Italian Renaissance Painting, painter of the Umbrian school, who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael was his most famous pup ...
.


The Transito

The Cappella del Transito is the small room where St. Francis died on 3 October 1226. It was a little hut serving as a primitive infirmary for the sick. It is decorated at the outside by the fresco of ''The transito'' by
Domenico Bruschi Domenico Bruschi (13 June 1840 – 19 October 1910) was an Italian painter and educator. Bruschi also designed tapestries, Renaissance revival wooden furniture, sculptures in stucco and stained glass windows. Bruschi served as the chair of Orname ...
(1886). On the inside, above the small altar, is the rope of St. Francis. Behind the altar, there is a glazed
terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, a ...
statue of St. Francis by Andrea della Robbia (c. 1490). On the walls there is a fresco by Giovanni Spagna (1520), depicting the earliest followers of St. Francis, with their names above each portrait (Ruffino, Leone, Masseo and Egidio).


The crypt

A new crypt was constructed behind the altar between 1965 and 1970. During the excavations, foundations of the original little huts, surrounding the Porziuncola, were exposed. The crypt's altar rests on a massive, multiple-branched tree trunk, sculpted by Francesco Prosperi. Behind the altar stands an enameled, terracotta, bas-relief tabernacle by Andrea della Robbia, expressing with an extreme finesse the emotions of the figures. The upper portion section includes ''St Francis receiving the Stigmata'', the ''Coronation of Mary ''(with the angel musicians), and ''St Jerome the Penitent''; the lower has the ''Annunciation'', the ''Nativity, ''and the ''Adoration by the Magi''.


The Rose Garden and the Rose Chapel

One enters the rose garden via the sacristy. It is the last remains of the ancient wood in which St Francis and his friars lived. Here he talked to the turtle doves, inviting them to praise the Lord. Doves have been nesting since times immemorial in the hands of the statue of St. Francis in this rose garden. According to tradition (already attested at the end of the 13th century), one night St. Francis, feeling the temptation to abandon his way of life, rolled naked in the bramble thorns in an attempt to overcome doubt and temptation. In contact with his body, the bramble bushes turned into
dog rose ''Rosa canina'', commonly known as the dog rose, is a variable climbing, wild rose species native to Europe, northwest Africa, and western Asia. Description The dog rose is a deciduous shrub normally ranging in height from , though sometimes it ...
s without thorns. Since then, the dog rose cultivar ''Rosa canina assisiensis'' has been grown in the garden. From the rose garden, one enters the Rose Chapel. This was the cell where St. Francis rested and spent the rest of the night in prayer and penance. Here St. Francis also met
Saint Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua ( it, Antonio di Padova) or Anthony of Lisbon ( pt, António/Antônio de Lisboa; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. He was bor ...
. After his death a chapel was built in the 13th century and enlarged in the 15th century by St.
Bernardine of Siena Bernardino of Siena, OFM (8 September 138020 May 1444), also known as Bernardine, was an Italian priest and Franciscan missionary preacher in Italy. He was a systematizer of Scholastic economics. His preaching, his book burnings, and his " bon ...
. It was decorated between 1506 and 1516 with a series of frescoes by several painters, including Umbrian
Tiberio d'Assisi Tiberio d'Assisi (circa 1470–1524) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, active in the early 16th century. He painted in the style of Pietro Perugino. He is also known as ''Tiberio Diatelevi'' or ''Tiberio di Assisi''. He painted a ...
who depicts the early Franciscan community and the first saints of the order, the miracle of the roses, and the concession of the indulgence


Museum

The little friary houses the museum of the Porziuncola with many religious objects, archaeological finds, and a noteworthy collection of paintings: * the ''Crucifix'' by
Giunta Pisano Giunta Pisano (also named Giunta da Pisa or Giunta Capitini) was an Italian painter. He is the earliest Italian painter whose name is found inscribed on an extant work. He is best known for his crucifixes. Works He is said to have exercised hi ...
(1236) * a wooden painting ''portrait of St. Francis'' by the (anonymous) Maestro di San Francesco (13th century); the body of the deceased saint was placed on this painting *a painting on wood of ''St. Francis'' attributed to
Cimabue Cimabue (; ; – 1302), Translated with an introduction and notes by J.C. and P Bondanella. Oxford: Oxford University Press (Oxford World’s Classics), 1991, pp. 7–14. . also known as Cenni di Pepo or Cenni di Pepi, was an Italian painter a ...
* a ''Madonna with Child '' by the Sienese painter
Sano di Pietro Sano di Pietro or Ansano di Pietro di Mencio (1405–1481) was an Italian painter of the Sienese school of painting. He was active for about half a century during the Quattrocento period, and his contemporaries included Giovanni di Paolo and Sas ...
(15th century) * a terracotta by Andrea della Robbia (c. 1490) with in the top from left to right :"St. Francis receives the Stigmata", "Coronation of Mary" and "St. Jerome the penitent"; bottom, from left to right : "the Annunciation", "the Nativity", and "the Adoration of the Magi". * ''St. Francis and St. Clare'' by
Cesare Sermei Cesare Sermei (Città della Pieve, c.1581 – Assisi, 1668) was an Italian painter. Son of painter Fernando Sermei, he learned to paint in the workshop of Cesare Nebbia, primarily moving between Orvieto and Rome. In 1608 Sermei established hi ...
and his workshop * the ''Madonna of the Milk'', a polychromed terracotta sculpture (end of the 14th or early 15th century) * many frescoes of uncertain attribution.


See also

*
Roman Catholic Marian churches Catholic Marian churches are religious buildings dedicated to the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. These churches were built throughout the history of the Catholic Church, and today they can be found on every continent including Antarctica. ...
*
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
– city indirectly named after this church


Notes


References

*


External links


Assisi online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Basilica Of Santa Maria Degli Angeli Religious organizations established in the 1670s Mannerist architecture in Italy Church buildings with domes Roman Catholic churches completed in 1679 Maria degli Angeli Franciscan churches in Italy Papal basilicas 1679 establishments in Italy Minor basilicas in Umbria 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy de:Santa Maria degli Angeli (Assisi)