posted on 2017-07-03, 00:00authored byG. Massiot & cie
Founded in 1228 following the canonization ceremony for St. Francis, it is the mother church of the Franciscan Order. The building established many of the characteristics of Italian Gothic architecture. It is built into the side of a hill and comprises two churches known as the Upper Church and the Lower Church, and a crypt where the remains of the saint are interred. The fact that the building had to fulfill two functions, as a conventual church for a mendicant order and as a great centre of pilgrimage, may have dictated its double form. It is decorated with frescoes by numerous late medieval painters from the Roman and Tuscan schools, and includes works by Cimabue, Giotto, Simone Martini, Pietro Lorenzetti and possibly Pietro Cavallini. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
History
Alt Title
Basilica Papale di San Francesco d'Assisi
Date Created
1910-01-01
Date Modified
2017-07-03
Spatial Coverage
Assisi, Umbria, Italy|Assisi|+43.074722+12.605556
Temporal Coverage
before or circa 1910
Cultural Context
['Romanesque', 'Gothic (Medieval)']
Rights Statement
To view the physical lantern slide, please contact the Architecture Library.