Siti Unesco

ASSISI - The Basilica of San Francesco

The Basilica complex is composed of two superimposed churches, the Lower Basilica (1228-1230) and the Upper Basilica (1230-1253). There is also the crypt where the body of St Francis lay undiscovered in a simple stone coffin until 1818.

Lower Basilica is entered through a portico that dates back to the 1400s. The beautiful double doors are overlooked by three rose windows; the stained glass throughout is magnificent. Several of the greatest Italian artists of the 13th & 14th Centuries contributed to the frescoes inside: Cimabue, Giotto, the Lorenzetti and Simone Martini, as well as the 'Maestro di S Francesco' and other anonymous masters. The basilica has been an inspiration on church architecture worldwide.

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