| Assisi
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
From being an ally of Rome, the town became a Roman "Municipium" under the name of Assisium and enjoyed considerable prosperi y, as the remnants of its former splendour clearly testify. Christianity was brought here in the 3rd century A.D. by the bishop-martyr, Rufino.
The town s revival dates from the 11 th century when new religious foundations and new construction work are documental. Frederick Barbarossa placed Assisi under direct imperial jurisdiction but the Emperors viceroys were put to flight in a popular uprising which heralded in a period if communal rule during which feuding between the nobility and the populace and battles against Perugia and the feudal overlords were all too common. It was this period that saw the birth if St. Francis and the growth if the Franciscan movement, with Assisi reaching the apex if its glory in the 13th century. From the 16th century until 1860 Assisi was part if the Papal States.
After the discoveries if the bodies if St. Francis (1818) and St. Clare (1850) and also thanks to renewed interest in the Middle Ages during the Romantic period, Assisi once more became a destination for pilgrims and intellectuals and, since the end if the 19th century, this new thrust if tourism has brought about the rebirth if the economy and the revitalization if the town itseif.
BASILICA OF ST. FRANCIS
This construction consists of two superimposed churches, the Lower Church built between 1228-1230, the Upper Church built between 1230-1253, plus a Crypt built between 1822-1824 containing the Saints tomb. The square leading up to the Lower Church is framed by colonnades erected in 1474. The beautiful twin Gothic portal, surmounted by three rose windows dates from the second half of the 13th century. The interior, in the shape of a 'tau' cross, originally had only a single aisle, the side chapels being an addition from the end of the 13th century. Worthy of note are the stained glass windows reputedly the work of Giovanni di Bonino and his craftsmen.
The Upper Church has a plain cuspidate facade embellished with a twin portal in Gothic style, and a magnificent rose window. The single-aisled Gothic interior receives light through the large stained glass windows held to be the work of German and French master craftsmen, and the artist known only as the Maestro di San Francesco. The Upper Church is the model for all Franciscan churches. The Basilica complex also comprises a Romanesque bell-tower and the Sacro Convento Monastery towering majestically over the valley below. The Monastery also houses a theological college, a library with a vast collection of codices and incunables from the 16th century and earlier, a collection of precious objects on view in the Gothic Hall and the Perkins Collection consisting of works by ltalian artists mainly from the Florentine and Sienese schools.
VIA S. FRANCESCO
Here one can admire the 13th century building known as the Loggia dei Maestri Comacini which in the course if the 15th century was enlarged, and served as a habitation for the Lombard artists during their sojourn in Assisi. Also worth of note are the narrow street if Sant Andrea leading up to the district known as San Giacomo, the Pilgrims' Oratory containing 15th century frescoes by Matteo da Gualdo and Mezzastris.
BASILICA OF SANTA CHIARA
Constructed between 1257 and 1265 along the lines if the Franciscan model with a cuspidate facade and a single nave, it incorporates the Chapel of San Giorgio where there are some
interesting 14th century frescoes and the original crucifix which spoke to St. Francis.
CATHEDRAL OF ST. RUFINO
The only extant parts if the original building, commissioned by Bishop Ugone in 1029, are the crypt and the bell-tower. The present-day church was consecrated in 1253 and has a facade which is one if the masterpieces if Umbrian Romanesque art. The interior was completely remodelled by Galeazzo Alessi in the second half on the 16th century.
EREMO DELLE CARCERI
Outside Assisi at an altitude of 800m., this was one of the favourite retreats of St. Francis and his followers. The monastery was built at a later date and the existing structure is the result of enlargements carried out by St. Bernard da Siena in 1426.
S. DAMIANO
This the place where Francis was converted in 1205. After 1212, it was used by St. Clare and her followers, (then known as "Damianite'), until the Saints death. The Church, the original convent, cloister and refectory are open to
visitors.
PIAZZA DEL COMUNE
The square is dominated by the 1st century A.D. Roman Temple known as the "Minerva" which is flanked by the Torre deI Popolo, completed in 1305, and by the adjoining 14th century Palazzo deI Capitano deI Popolo. Opposite these is the Municipal Building, the oldest part if which, the Palazzo del Priori, dates from the 14th century to which other buildings were later added.
ROCCA MAGGIORE
This large fortress is set on the hilltop above Assisi from which there is a magnificent panorama. It has been rebuilt several times and the present structure is mostly 14th century.
SANTA MARIA DEGLI ANGELI
This township grew up around the Sanctuary after the Unification of Italy. In former times, alongside the Basilica and opposite the Fountain (La Fontana delle 26 Cannelle) with 26 spouts the only other construction was the Palazzo deI Capitano deI Perdono built in 1620. The construction if the Basilica took place between 1565-1685 to a design by
Galeazzo Alessi completely enclosing the little Portiuncola Chapel. The small plot of land (Portiuncola) where the chapel stood was made available for the use if St. Francis and his first companions by the Benedictine monks. The simple chapel has an ogival vault and on the facade there is a fresco by F.Overbeck (1829) on the subject if
the Indulgence of Assisi (il Perdono). Inside, on the wall behind the altar there is an altarpiece painted on wood by Ilario da Viterbo (1393) showing the Annunciation and also scenes connected to the granting if the Indulgence while the external apsidal wall carries a fresco by Il Perugino if the Crucifixion (1486). Not far from the Poitiuncola chapel lies the Cappella dei Transito built on the spot where St. Francis died on 3rd October 1226 and containing a polychrome terracotta by Andrea della Robbia and a fresco dating from 1514 by Lo Spagna portraying the First Brothers.
The side chapels of the Basilica are decorated with frescoes by local artists datingfrom the 15th18th centuries. From the Basilica there is a passageway leading to the celebrated 'Thornless Rosegarden" and the Chapel of the Roses frescoed by Tiberio d'Assisi in 1516 with legends connected to the Indulgence. The 12th century Friary houses a museum containing various sacred works of art, archaeological finds, ethnic exhibits and paintings, the most noteworty of which are a fresco by Mezzastris, a Crucifix by Giunta Pisano and a wood-painting of St. Francis by the Maestro di San Francesco. MUSEO CIVICO UND FORO ROMANO
This is situated in the crypt of the Romanesque church of San Nicolo "de pede platee". On view are exhibits from Pre-Roman and Roman times.
PINACOTECA COMUNALE
Temporarily housed in Palazzo Vallemani in Via San Francesco, it contains frescoes removed from wayside shrines or confraternity chapels painted by local artists such as Puccio Capanna, Nicolo'Alunno and Dono Doni. MUSEO D'ARTE CONTEMPORANEA
Within the confines of the Pro Civitate Cristiana complex, the gallery houses about 700 works (paintings, stained glass, sculptures) by famous artists such as Carrà, De Chirico, Greco, Messina, Rosai, Rouault and many others.
CATHEDRAL MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES
In this museum there is a collection of paintings on canvas and wood which originally hung in the Cathedral or in other churches of the Diocese. The Capitular Archives preserve some
illuminated manuscripts and other important documents including a number of parchments, the oldest of which dates from 963 AD.
TREASURY OF THE SACRO CONVENTO
Inside the Monastery of St. Francis, the public can visit the Treasury which houses paintings, tapestries, relies and the very interesting Perkins Collection
CALENDIMAGGIO
During the first few days of May, the town enthusiastically celebrates "Calendimaggio" in which the young people, in particular, re-enact scenes of Medieval life. For three days the town is divided into two opposing factions, the "Lower Side" and the "Upper Side", recalling the feuds that raged in the town in the 14th and 15th centuries. Nowadays, the contest is peaceful with the two sides showing their skills in choral singing, costumed parades, traditional games and performances of short plays about life informer times in the more picturesque Medieval streets. The awarding of the prize banner (Palio) is the task of an external panel of judges who assign points for each competition.
www.calendimaggiodiassisi.it
TRADITIONS
Some of the most deeply-rooted traditions are the religious ones and, in particular, those taking place in the week preceding Easter Sunday. On Holy Thursday a statue of the dead Christ is removed from a 16th century crucifix and carried on a bier, on Good Friday morning, in procession from the Cathedral to the Basilica of St. Francis and back again in the evening. The evening torchlight procession is particularly moving. ("Processione deI Cristo Morto").
Another very special event in the religious calendar is the "Pulci Procession" on the first Sunday after the Feast of Corpus Christi. It takes place in the narrow streets of the upper part of the town which are decorated for the occasion, by the inhabitants, with magnificent pictorial car pets of flowers. On the 22nd June the Municipal Authorities make a formaI offering of votive candles in Thanksgiving for St. Clare's having courageously repel/ed a Saracen attack on the town.
Between the 31st of July and the 2nd August a multitude of pilgrims arrives in Santa Maria degli Angeli in order to obtain the Indulgence (Perdono) granted at the behest if St. Francis by Pope Honorius III However, the feast which is celebrated with the greatest solemnity is that if St. Francis on 3rd-4th October. A number if ceremonies are held including the official presentation by the representatives if one if the Italian Regions, if a years supply if oil for the Votive Lamp which burns night and day in front if the Saints Tomb. The same Region also arranges public performances if its own typical music and dance to enliven the two-day festivities. Various other cultural activities (concerts, exhibitions, conferences, study courses) also take place throughout the year. At Christmastime, cribs are put up in the churches and streets and these are frequently if great artistic interest and, in several if the outlying villages, the inhabitants perform in "Living Cribs", recreating scenes if daily life as it might have been at the time if Christ's birth.
testi a cura di Maura Antognelli e Pier Maurizio Dalla Porta |