A Little History
Above the green Umbrian plain Assisi lies on a spur of Mount Subasio
and is dominated by the Rocca, a medieval fortress and grim reminder
that the Franciscan glory
sprang
from a soil bathed with the blood of many battles. Assisi was
one of the early settlements of the Italian people and, although
Umbran in origin, Assisi was influenced by the nearby Etruscan
settlements.
Under the name Asisium, it became a flourishing Roman municipality
and the birthplace of the poet Propertius. The martyr bishop Saint
Rufino first preached Christianity here, in the 3rd century.
After the fall of the Roman Empire the city was sacked and devastated
by the barbarians: Totila razed it to the ground; recaptured by
the Byzantines, conquered by the Lombards. Subject for a considerable
period to the Duchy of Spoleto, it flourished again during the
11th and 12th centuries with the first experiments as an independent
township. Charlemagne conquered it: then in 1177 Frederick Barbarossa
gave it as a feudal holding to the duke Conrad of Lutzen to whose
care the young Frederick II was entrusted. But the real glory
of Assisi began when at the dose of the 12th century
Saint
Francis and Saint Clare were born within its walls. From that
time onward Assisi attracted Christian pilgrins of the whole world.
After a somewhat frivolous youth, Francis received the call of
God: he left the riches and ease of his paternal home; and clothed
in sacking with a rope girdle he went about as the herald of Christ,
preaching a spiritual renewal and singing the beauty of Gods whole
creation. The climax of his life came on Mount Alvernia where
he received the Stigmata. Stretched on the bare ground of the
Porzioncula at Saint Mary of the Angels he died on October 3rd
1226.
Not long after his death the struggle with Perugia, the Pope and
Emperor were renewed. The city passed under the jurisdiction of
one despot after the other and was also tom as under by the bloody
rivalry between the local factions of the Parte di Sopra (Upper
Part) led by the Nepis family, and the Parte di Sotto (Lower part)
led by the Fiumi. Then followed more brutal sackings at the hands
of the Baglioni and Valentino.
Early in the 16th century Assisi finally found peace though not
liberty when it fell under the jurisdiction of the Papal states;
and with the exception of a brief period during the Napoleonic
invasion, it remained thus until 1860.At present Assisi is an
international tourist centre. Its treasures of history and art,
the beauty of the scenery and countryside alike and also the sense
of peace, which is so characteristic of this place, attract visitors
and pilgrims alike. The
rose coloured stone of the buildings reflects the light in quite
a peculiar way; the narrow alleys and sudden comers of unexpected
beauty, all contribute to make a unique impression in this city
which at every turn recalls the beloved "Poverello".
This terraced city lies 424 metres above sea level overlooking
the whole of the Umbrian plain and it is a refuge for anyone in
search of quiet and relaxation. The climate is dry and sunny.
DO-IT-YOURSELF WALKING TOUR
Cattedrali di San Rufino -built in the mid-12th century at
Piazza San Rufino, the Duomo of Assisi is graced with a Romanesque
facade, greatly enhanced by rose windows. It's one of the finest
churches in the hill towns, as important as the one at Spoleto.
Adjoining the cathedral is a bell tower or campanile. Inside,
the church has been baroqued, an unfortunate decision that lost
the purity that the front suggests. St. Francis and St. dare were
both baptized bere. Ifs open daily from 7 am to noon and 2 to
7 pm. It costs 2,000 lire ($1.25) to visit the crypt.
BASILICA OF SANTA CHIARA -On Piazza Santa Chiara is dedicated
to the "Little plant of Blessed Francis", as St. Clare
liked to describe herself. Born in 1193 into one of the richest and noblest families
of Assisi, Clare was to give all her wealth to the poor and to
found, together with St. Francis, the Order of the Poor Clares.
Pope Alexander IV canonized her in 1255. Pope Pius XII declared
her patroness of Television in 1958. It was decided to entrustto
her this new means of social communication on the basis of a vision
that she related she had on Christmas Eve in 1252 in which she
saw the manger and heard the friars sing in the Basilica of St.
Francis while she was bedridden in the Monastery of San Damiano.
On entering, one's attention is caught by striking Crucifix behind
the main altar, a painting on wood dating from the lime of the
church itself (circa 1269). The work is by 'The Master of St.
dare", who is also responsible for the beautiful icons on
either side of the transept. An oft-reproduced fresco of the Nativity
from the 14th century can be admired in the left transept
The closest bus stop to the Basilica of
Santa Chiara (Clare) is to be found near Porta Nuova,
the eastern
gate to the city at the beginning of viale Umberto I. The bus
in question does not bear a number; it departs from the depot
in piazza Matteotti for its first run to the train station at
5:40 am and concludes its final run at 9:40 pm. Buses arrive at
half-hour intervals. Admittance to the basilica is free; however,
the custodian turns away visitors in shorts, miniskirts, plunging
necklines, and backless attire. It is open November through March,
daily from 6:30am to noon and 2 to 6pm; April through October,
daily from 6:30am to 12:15 pm and 2 to 7pm.
TEMPLE OF MINERVA -opens onto piazza del comune, the heart
of Assisi. The square is a dream for a lover of architecture from
the 12th through the
14th
century. A pagan structure, with six Corinthian columns, the Temple
of Minerva dates from the 1st century B.C. With Minerva-like wisdom,
the people of Assisi let it stand, and turned it into a baroque
church inside so as not to offend the devout. Adjoining the temple
is the 13th century Tower of the people, built by Ghibelline supporters.
BASILICA DI SAN FRANCISCO and the Sacro Convento -This important church, which consists of both an upper and lower
church, houses some of the most important cycles of frescoes in
Italy, including works by such pre-Renaissance giants as Cimabue
and Giotto. Both churches were built in the first part of the
13th century, the lower one dating from 1228-1230 and the upper
one from 1230-1253 -and a crypt dug in 1818 which houses the Saint's
tomb.
Upon entering the upper church through the principal doorway,
look to your immediate left to see one of Grotto's most celebrated
frescoes, that of St. Francis preaching to the birds. In the nave
of the upper church you'll find the rest of the cycle of 27 additional
frescoes, some of which are by Giotto, although the authorship
of the entire cycle is a subject of controversy. In the cycle,
we see pictorial evidence of the rise of humanism that led to
Giotto and Italy's splits from the rigidity of Byzantium.
Proceed up to the nave to the transept and turn left to find a
masterpiece
of Cimabue's, the Crucifixion. Time has robbed the frescoe of
its former radiance, but its power and ghostlike drama remain.
From the transept, proceed down the stairs through the two-tiered
cloisters to the lower church, which will put you in the south
transept. Look for Cimabue's faded but masterly Virgin and Child
with four angels and St. Francis looking on from the far right.
The fresco is often reproduced in detail as one of Cimabue's greatest
works. On the other side of Transept is the deposition from the
cross, a masterpiece by thatSienese artist Pietro Lorenzetti,
plus a Madonna and child with St. John and St. Francis (Stigmata
showing). Finally, under the lower church is the crypt of St Francis.
EREMO DELLE CARCERI - (Prison's Hermitage) 2 1/2 miles
cast of Assisi is from 14th and 15th centuries. The "Prison"
is not a penal institution but rather a spiritual retreat. It
is believed that St. Francis retired to this spot for meditation
and prayer. Out back is a gnarled, moss-covered ilex (or live
oak) tree, more than 1,000 years old, where St. Francis is believed
to have blessed the birds, after which they are said to have flown
in the four major directions of the compass to symbolize that
franciscans, in coming centuries, would spread out from Assisi
all over the world.
ROCCA MAGGIORE - (Great Fortress) sits astride a hill
overlooking Assisi. It should be visited if for no reason than
for the view of the Umbrian countryside from its ramparts. The
present uilding-now in ruins-dates from the 14th century, and
the origins of the structure go back beyond lime.
