Santa Maria degli Angeli in Assisi.

The Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (Saint Mary of the Angels) is a church situated in the plain at the foot of the hill of Assisi, Italy. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1280x960, 263 KB) photo by Radomil 27. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1280x960, 263 KB) photo by Radomil 27. ... Crest of the township (comune) of Assisi Assisi (Latin: Asisium) is a town and episcopal see in Italy in Perugia province, Italy, in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Mt. ...

The basilica was constructed between 1569 and 1679 enclosing the 9th century little church, the Porziuncola, the most sacred place for the Franciscans. It was here that the young Francis of Assisi understood his vocation and renounced the world in order to become a poor among the poor and thus started the Franciscan movement. the Porziuncola Porziuncola, also called Portiuncula (in Latin) or Porzioncula, is a town and parish situated about three-quarters of a mile from Assisi. ... Saint Francis of Assisi (1182 – October 3, 1226) founded the Franciscan Order or Friars Minor. // Francis was born in 1182 in Assisi, Italy, while his father was in France on business. ...

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 more and more vast numbers pilgrims came flocking to Assisi to receive the “Pardon of Assisi”, 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 (1566-72), 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 an Italian pre-Baroque style by the famous architect Galeazzo Alessi (1512-1572), assisted by Jacob Barozzi, also called Vignola (1507-73). The work progressed slowly, due to continuous lack of money as the building was financed with donations. The dome was finished in 1667. This dome, resting on an octagonal drum with eight windows and cornices, is an architectural work of art. Construction of the church was finally finished in 1679. In 1684 a bell tower was added. It was originally intended to have a twin tower, but the second was never built. Adoration, by Peter Paul Rubens. ... Galeazzo Alessi (1512- December 30, 1572), Italian architect, was born at Perugia, and was probably a pupil of Caporali. ...

On 15 March 1832 the central nave, a part of a lateral aisle and the choir collapsed during a violent earthquake. The dome, the only surviving work of Alessi, escaped destruction, but was left with a wide crack. The apse and the side chapels were left standing. Reconstruction of the basilica started in 1836 by the architect Luigi Poletti and it was finished in 1840. He had remodeled the façade in a neoclassical style. Between 1924 and 1930 this façade was given back its original pre-Baroque style by Cesare Bazzani. The gold-plated statue of the "Madonna degli Angeli" (Madonna of the Angels) by the sculptor Colasanti, was put on top of the façade in 1930. Links to full descriptions of the elements of a Gothic floorplan are also found at the entry Cathedral diagram. ... This article is about an architectural feature; for the astronomical term see apsis. ... Italian mathematician and poet, Luigi Poletti was born in Pontremoli (Italy) in 1864 and died in 1967. ... Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture. ...

On 11 April, 1909, the church was raised by pope Pius X to the status of "patriarchal basilica and papal chapel" Pope Pius X (1903-1914), pictured in 1904, wearing the 1834 Triple Tiara of Pope Gregory XVI Saint Pius X, né Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, (2 June 1835 - 20 August 1914) was Pope from 1903 to 1914, succeeding Pope Leo XIII. He was the first pope since the Counter-Reformation Pope...

Description

Nave with the Porziuncola

The basilica 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, and a long choir in a semi-circular apse, protruding from the ground plan. The Porziuncola is situated directly under the dome. The church is 126 meters long, 65 meters large and the dome is 75 meters high. 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 (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. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (960x1280, 383 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (960x1280, 383 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera... St. ... Full descriptions of the elements of a Gothic floorplan are found at the entry Cathedral diagram. ... A choir or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. ... The cathedra of the Pope in the apse of St. ...

The side chapels were decorated by great artists from several periods

• Antonio Circignani “Pomarancio”'(c. 1570 – 1630) (all paintings in the Chapel of St Anne ) (1602-1603)
• Antonio Maria Garbi (Chapel of St Diego D’Alcalà) (1773)
• Baldassarre Croce (1563-1638) (all paintings in the Chapel of St Pius V) (1602-1603) (Chapel of the removal of the Lord) (1602)
• Baldassarre Orsini (Chapel of St Diego D’Alcalà) (1787), (Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary)
• Brother Ippolito da Coceto (Chapel of St Diego D’Alcalà) (1710) and the ovals on the Altar of the Holy Cross
• Antonio Cavallucci (1752-1795) (Chapel of St Diego d’Alcalà)
• Cesare Sermei (c.1609 – 1668) (Chapel of the Stigmata) (1630)
• Crispolti (Chapel of the Removal of the Lord) (1602)
• Domenico Maria Muratori (1661-1774) (Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary)
• Francesco Appiani (1704-1793) (Chapel of St. Anthony -1756 and Chapel of St. Peter in Chains – 1760)
• Garbi (Chapel of St Anthony - 1773)
• Giacomo Giorgetti (all paintings in the Chapel of St John the Baptist) (Chapel of the Stigmata) (1630)
• Gian Domenico Mattei (Chapel of St Peter in Chains)
• Giorgetti di Assisi (the frescoes in the vault of the Chapel of St John the Baptist) (1700)
• Giovan Battista Lombardelli (Chapel of the Crib)
• Jean Regnaud (also called Giovanni de Champagne or Giovanni di Sciampagna) (Chapel of St Peter in Chains) (second part of the 17th c.)
• Morelli (Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary)
• Silla Piccinini (Chapel of the Crib)
• Simeone Ciburri (? – 1614) (Chapel of the Crowned Virgin) (1603)
• Ventura Salimbeni (c. 1567-1613) (Chapel of the Removal of the Lord) (1602),

St. Francis receives men and women into the Third Order of Penance, at Cannara; painting by Baldassare Croci (1602-1603) Antonio Cavallucci (1752-1795) was an barroque Italian painter of the 18 th century. ... Saint Hyacinth healing the blind twins Ventura di Archangelo Salimbeni (also later called Bevilacqua) (20 January 1568 - 1613) was an Italian Mannerist painter and the last represntative of this style in Siena after Beccafumi. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (832x1074, 362 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera...

Wedding of the Virgin, painting by Antonio Circignani (Pomarancio) (1602-1603) Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (816x931, 383 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera...

St. John the Baptist baptizes Jesus in the Jordan; painting by Giorgetti di Assisi Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1280x921, 521 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera...

The Porziuncola

Main article : see Porziuncola the Porziuncola Porziuncola, also called Portiuncula (in Latin) or Porzioncula, is a town and parish situated about three-quarters of a mile from Assisi. ...

The chiesetta (little church) is the most sacred place for Franciscans. Francis was given this little church, dating from the 9th century, by the Benedictine monks. Image File history File links Porziuncola. ... Image File history File links Porziuncola. ... The Order of Friars Minor and other Franciscan movements are disciples of Saint Francis of Assisi. ... A Benedictine is a person who follows the Rule of St Benedict. ...

The church is exquisitely decorated by artists from different periods. Above the entrance is the fresco by Johann Friedrich Overbeck (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 Umbrian artists.. The austere interior is decorated in a simple Gothic style with frescoes from the 14th and the 15th century. But the masterpiece 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 the fresco “Crucifixion” by Pietro Vannucci, called “the Perugino”. Self-portrait with family, c. ... Umbria is a region of central Italy, bordered by Tuscany to the west, the Marche to the east and Lazio to the south. ... Gothic architecture characterizes any of the styles of European architecture, particularly associated with cathedrals and other churches, in use throughout Europe during the high and late medieval period, from the 12th century onwards. ... Christ presenting the Keys to St Peter Fresco, 335 x 550 cm Sistine Chapel, Rome Pietro Perugino (1446-1524), whose family name was properly Vannucci, Italian painter, was born at Città della Pieve in Umbria, and belongs to the Umbrian school of painting. ...

The Transito

The Capella 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 “The transito” by Domenico Bruschi (1886). On the inside, above the small altar, is the rope of St. Francis. Behind the altar, there is a glazed terracotta 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) Terra cotta is a hard semifired waterproof ceramic clay used in pottery and building construction. ...

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 : (on top) St Francis receiving the Stigmata, the Coronation of Mary (with the angel musicians), St Jerome the Penitent; (lower section) The Annunciation, the Nativity and the Adoration by the Magi.

The Rose Garden and the Rose Chapel

Rose garden - bronze statue by V. Rossignoli (1916)

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. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (960x1093, 902 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (960x1093, 902 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera... Binomial name Streptopelia turtur (Linnaeus, 1758) The Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur) is a member of the bird family Columbidae, which includes the doves and pigeons. ...

According to tradition (already attested at the end of the 13th c.), 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 roses without thorns. Since then, the dog rose cultivar Rosa canina 'Assisiensis' has been grown in the garden. The Dog Rose (Rosa canina) is a scrambling shrub-like rose species native to Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia. ...

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. After his death a chapel was built in the 13th century, enlarged in the 15th c. by St. Bernardine of Siena. It was decorated between 1506 and 1516 with a series of frescoes by several painters, among which the Umbrian Tiberio d'Assisi, depicting the early Franciscan community and the first saints of the order, the miracle of the roses and the concession of the indulgence Saint Anthony of Padua, also venerated as Saint Anthony of Lisbon (Santo António de Lisboa), particularly in Portugal (August 15, 1195 – June 13, 1231), is a Catholic saint who was born in Lisbon, Portugal, as Fernando de Bulhões (pron. ... Saint Bernardino of Siena (sometimes Bernardine) (September 8, 1380 – May 20, 1444) was an Italian preacher, Franciscan missionary and Christian saint. ...

Concession of the Indulgence - fresco in the Rose Chapel by Tiberio d'Assisi

The little friary houses the museum of the Porziuncola with many religious objects, archaeological finds, and a noteworthy collection of paintings : Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1280x844, 534 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1280x844, 534 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera...

• the Crucifix by Giunta Pisano (1236)
• a wooden painting portrait of St. Francis by the (anonymous) Maestro di San Francesco (13th c.); the body of the deceased saint was placed on this painting.
• San Francesco attributed to Cimabue
• a Madonna by Sano di Pietro
• the Crowning of the Virgin, a terracotta by Andrea della Robbia (c. 1490)
• St. Francis and St. Clare by Cesare Sermei and his workshop.
• the Madonna of the Milk, a polychromed terracotta sculpture (end 14th, early 15th c.)
• many frescoes of uncertain attribution.

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. ... Crucifix (1287-88) Panel, 448 x 390 cm Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence Cenni di Pepo (Giovanni) Cimabue (c. ... Sano di Pietro (1406–1481) was an early Italian Renaissance painter from Siena. ...

Reference

• Bellucci, G. (2005) - Assisi, Heart of the World; Edizioni Porziuncola, Assisi

External links

• Assisi Online
• Museum of the Porziuncola

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Santa Maria degli Angeli