In the charming streets of the Italian city of Assisi, in the region of Umbria, an atmosphere of mysticism reigns. There, perched on the glorious slopes of Mount Subasio in the province of Perugia, rests the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, a site of incomparable architectural and artistic treasures. The basilica not only influenced Assisi’s architecture, but also planted the seeds for the early Italian Renaissance.
The basilica was built as a shrine to honor Francis, the holy man of Assisi. The site was designed by Maestro Jacopo Tedesco and it was completed in 1253. A crypt for the saint’s body was added in 1822. The basilica’s architecture helped establish typical elements of Italian Gothic architecture, a combination of the European Romanesque and Gothic architectures. Examples of Italian Gothic architecture in the basilica include flying buttresses, a bell tower, a polychromatic setting, a rib vault, and tall vertical windows.
The site has two levels: the upper church and the lower church. The architecture blends Romanesque and Gothic styles as the upper church is in a French Gothic style with a white-washed brick façade and with Italian elements using a variety of colors and adornments. The lower church is built in an Umbrian Romanesque style with ribbed-crossed vaults over the nave and is sparsely decorated and dimly lit to represent the saint’s ethos of simplicity.
The site also displays numerous frescos by prestigious early-Renaissance Italian artists such as Cimabue, Pietro Lorenzetti, Simone Martini, and Giotto. The frescos were some of the first examples of the early Italian Renaissance.
The lower and upper churches of the basilica are seen from the Lower Plaza of St. Francis. The façade of the basilica uses the French Gothic style with white-washed brick, a split doorway, and a heavy bell tower. The entrance is seen in the center of the building under a large arch and is divided by a column. On the right, the friary of St. Francis is composed of 53 Romanesque-style arches, supported by buttresses. Today, the friary behind the arched colonnade houses a library and a museum holding pilgrims’ donations. FilippoPH/Shutterstock
In the tympanum (a decorative wall surface above an entrance, door, or window) above the two cusped arches of the basilica’s exterior, there is a rose window with carvings, which are typical Romanesque decorative details. It is enclosed in a Renaissance-style porch with large white stone walls and arched windows. This window is often called the “eye of God” or “the eye of the most beautiful church in the world,” according to author Gualtiero Belucci in “Assisi, Heart of the World." FillipoPH/Shutterstock
The strikingly colorful, airy, and majestic nave of the upper church constructed as a simple, single four-bay nave with a cross-vaulted ceiling, and floor patterns of leaves and crosses. Golden stars decorate four ribbed vaults on the blue ceiling. Unlike the design of the lower basilica, the clustered columns have ribs in a Gothic style. Tall Gothic stained-glass windows line the nave. The frescos along the walls depict scenes by artists Pietro Cavallini, Cimabue, and Jacopo Torriti. Public Domain
In the lower part of the nave of the upper basilica are a series of 28 frescoes depicting the life of St. Francis, attributed to the famous Italian painter Giotto. Here, St. Francis’s humble life is depicted through his actions. The first fresco on the left depicts the saint’s visit to locals, and the second fresco in the center shows him donating his coat. The last fresco shows the building that is going to hold his tomb. The colors of the frescoes are still vivid and, according to famous art historian Giorgio Vasari, the frescos were executed between 1296 and 1304. Public Domain
A fresco to the right of the lower church’s high altar depicts the Virgin Mary and Christ as a child, surrounded by saints. In the right corner, St. Francis is shown. This painting is by the famous Florentine artist Cimabue, who was Giotto’s teacher. As such, this basilica saw the beginnings of a new artistic movement. This specific painting is known as the “Maestà,” which means “majesty.” Maestà refers to any Medieval and Renaissance religious painting depicting the Virgin with Christ as a child, surrounded by angels or saints. Public Domain
The papal altar of the lower church is made out of one block of stone from Como in 1230. The altar is complemented by Gothic walnut choir stalls and a series of ornamented Gothic arches, supported by 12 columns. The walls are covered with “Last Judgment” frescos by Cesare Sermei di Orvieto (1609–1668), and the vaults have paintings by Maestro delle Vele, a pupil of Giotto (circa 1330), depicting the “Triumph of Saint Francis.” The stained-glass windows are attributed to Giovanni di Bonino. Dennis Jarvis/CC BY-SA 2.0
Halfway down the lower church’s nave (the central part of a church, often surrounded by aisles), a double stairway leads into the crypt where St. Francis is buried. The remains were hidden from grave robbers; after the sarcophagus was rediscovered in 1822, Pasquale Belli designed the marble crypt in a Neo-classical style, characterized by simple geometric forms, symmetry, and precious materials. Ugo Tarchi redesigned it using bare stone between 1925 and 1932, in the Neo-Romanesque style, characterized by rough square stones, polychromatic stonework, and an imposing appearance. (Peter K Burian/ CC BY- SA 4.0)
