The Basilica of S. Maria degli Angeli was built between 1569 and 1679 at the behest of Pope St. Pius V in order to guard the chapels of the Porziuncola, the Transito and the Rose Garden and other places made sacred by the memory of St. Francis. The original project by Galeazzo Alessi is characterized by a rigorous structural simplicity, conforming to the Franciscan ideal of poverty.

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Paul

April 24, 2025

Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli
The small chapel of Santa Maria degli Angeli alla Porziuncola, still completely preserved inside the basilica, was, according to tradition, built by four soldiers returning from the Holy War in the wooded plain below Assisi, known as the Cerretto della Porziuncola. They brought a piece of the Madonna's tombstone with them.
There, on certain autumn days, the strong wind that blew every cloud from the sky and through the leaves seemed similar to the song of angels. The chapel was administered by the Benedictine monks of the monastery of Santa Benedetto al Subasio since the 10th century. This place would probably have been completely forgotten if the paths of Francis and Clare had not led there. Thanks to them, we find the Porziuncola intact today, just as it was a good 1,000 years ago. But instead of the noisy thicket, there is now a large basilica, built between the 16th and 17th centuries, which envelops and protects the chapel like a caring mother. This view from within the building makes the chapel seem even smaller, almost impossibly small.

The church was given to the poor saint by the aforementioned Benedictine monks to establish the headquarters of the newly founded Franciscan order. When Francis first came here, the church was in disrepair, and according to his saintly legend, he dedicated the third year after his conversion exclusively to the renovation of the small chapel. It was here, while reading the Gospel, that he realized that his mission was not to restore dilapidated religious buildings, but to rebuild and preach the entire Kingdom of God by living in poverty, penance, and simplicity. From here, Francis and his confreres set out to spread his message throughout Italy, and here they returned again and again. One night in 1211, a desperate and frightened Chiara d'Offreduccio, who had fled her home and her aristocratic family, knocked on the doors of Porciuncola.

Text / Source: Exploring-Umbria.com
exploring-umbria.com/de/entdecke-assisi/sehenswuerdigkeiten-in-assisi/basilica-santa-maria-degli-angeli-in-porziuncolabasilika-zu-unserer-lieben-frau-von-den-engeln

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JakobusPilger

March 1, 2024

The large - and magnificent, but with its baroque splendor does not quite match the Franciscan ideal - cathedral "Santa Maria degli Angeli" is not located in the historic core of the old town of Assisi, which is nestled along the mountain slope of Monte Subasio, but down in the Level. This church was built - like a sweeping cloak - around the "Portiuncula", a small chapel that still exists in the middle of the nave and is one of the original and important Franciscan shrines.

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Location: Assisi, Perugia, Umbria, Italy

Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels in Porziuncola

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