Firstly, some general points. There are 45 churches in Assisi (old and new towns), so a sigh of relief was breathed when it was realised we would not be visiting all of them. Francis was born in the town, where the ‘new’ church is now, so-called because it was built quite recently in the 17th Century. His father was wealthy, but not a ‘nobleman’, but Francis gave up a comfortable lifestyle to live a life of poverty and simplicity and to look after the poor and homeless. A remarkable character. The depictions of him as a small, bald, odd looking bloke (hope that is not blasphemous) are believed accurate from paintings based on eye-witness accounts. He was given a small run-down church down in the swamp to minister to the poor (that is the one left inside the basilica we saw yesterday), but he travelled around a fair bit. He inspired St Clare to work with the poor, homeless girls and women in the area (Hence the ‘Poor Clares’ order of nuns). Clare was wealthy and of ‘noble’ birth, so a courageous call from her also. Francis developed (if that is the word) stigmata about two years before his death. He was canonised in 1228, very soon after his death, and given his approach of living in poverty and simplicity, he would probably be a tad horrified at the size and splendour of the churches dedicated to him. Ironically, he was known by another name (Giovanni?), but his French mother wanted him called Francis after his death. [addit. - he was baptised as Giovanni di Bernardone.]
Anyway, enough bio details – on with the details.
This Basilica of St Francis is actually 2 churches, one on top of the other. We entered the lower basilica, celebrated Mass as mentioned before, then went down to the crypt directly below the altar, where his coffin is visible. In the basilica are quite spectacular frescoes painted on the walls using deep blue, lapis lazuli (expensive and imported from Persia) and other rich and expensive colours.
Entrance to Lower Basilica
The upper basilica is also spectacular and opens onto the ‘Hill of Hell’ where criminals were punished, killed and buried. St Francis insisted on being buried in this area. So, we visited the 3 levels, but wait! There is more! Yes, there is a small cavity or layer built between the two basilicas which only the Franciscans access and where they hid 300 Jews in WW2 and saved them from the Nazis. Apparently this true story was well told in a Gregory Peck movie ‘Assisi Underground’. (Added later: No mention of Gregory Peck in the 1985 version)
The Upper Basilica opening onto the 'Hill of Hell' at right
The ‘new’ Church built in the 17th Century on the site where Francis was born is the only new church built in a long time. This sense of antiquity is so hard to comprehend.
The 'New' Church of St Francis
After a leisurely lunch, we visited the hermitage or hide-out which Francis used. Quite a distance to get there (fortunately we used taxis) and right up in the hills but a very peaceful place. Some of the access points or doors were a little 'squeezy'. (Added later: This website has better photos than mine)
The Hermitage of St Francis
Later, we visited the convent of St Damiano and also the Basilica of St Clare which was back in town. This also housed the crypt of St Clare, below the main altar, with the ‘uncorrupted body’ (sic) of St Clare on display.
This town is quite intriguing, with shops everywhere to cater for the tourists and a constant stream of cars up and down the very narrow streets. Only residents and traders can bring cars into town and most of them seem to be BMWs, Mercs and Fiats. Did not see one Holden ute!
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