The Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli is as much a shrine of the Franciscan Order as the Basilica of St. Francis. It is one of the six Great Basilicas of Italy. Four of them are located in Rome, and two in Assisi.
The Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli was founded in 1569 and was built for more than a hundred years, until 1679. Creating the project and construction at the initial stage was led by the famous architect Vignola. He worked during the late Renaissance. His architectural style is sometimes called Mannerism, but, in fact, we are talking about the Baroque style, which became widespread in the 17th century.
Due to the earthquake of 1832, part of the basilica collapsed. It was restored in 1836-40 under the direction of architect Luigi Poletti. As a result of these works, the basilica acquired the appearance that has survived to this day.
The Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli has a huge size. The main nave is 126 meters long and 65 meters wide. The height of the arches reaches 75 meters. It is one of the largest Christian churches in the world in terms of capacity. Its main shrine is the small church of Porziuncola, which is the cradle of the Franciscan Order.
The chapel of Portiuncula in Assisi
According to legend, this small church was built in the middle of the 4th century, by hermit monks who came from the biblical valley of Joasaph (the valley of Kedron at the foot of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem). This church was dedicated to the Ascension of the Virgin Mary surrounded by angels, which in Italian sounds Santa Maria degli Angeli. Later, the entire basilica was so named.
In 516, this church passed to the Benedictine monks, and by the 13th century it was in a dilapidated state. The abbot of the Benedictine monastery gave it to the young Francis, but he did not take it as a gift, as he could not own the property. Next to this church he built himself a hut and often came here. The small piece of land in front of the church he called Porziuni, and the church Porziuncola.
One day Francis was praying in the Assisi’s church of St. Damian and he had a vision of Christ who said: "Francesco, Francesco go and build My House, you see it is being destroyed." He took it literally. To restore the church of St. Damian, he sold part of the property from his family home. It caused a quarrel with his father. Then he renounced his family and retired to Porciuncula. He began to live there. He restored it with his own hands, but then he realized that he should not rebuild any churches, but work on the restoration of the Christian Church as a religion.
Gradually, followers began to come to him. They built huts around Porciuncula. Saint Francis founded the Franciscan Order. Its main mission was to be a missionary and to fight against heresies, which were numerous in Western Europe in those years. Once a year, the Franciscans gathered at the Porciuncula for the chapter houses (general meetings).
In addition to the Porziuncola, the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli has a 17th-century wooden choir, an altar by Apolloni Getti, frescoes by Appiani (18th century) and paintings by artists from the 17th and 18th centuries.
