The frescoes of Giotto and Cimabue
On the western edge of Assisi, at the foot of Monte Subasio, the Basilica of San Francesco rises on massive arches above the valley, one of the most important places of pilgrimage in Christianity and a treasure of Italian art, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000 together with the other Franciscan sites. It was begun in 1228, just two years after the death of Saint Francis, by order of Pope Gregory IX, to house the saint's remains, and consists of two superimposed churches: the Lower Basilica, darker and more intimate, and the Upper Basilica, bright and soaring, one of the first Gothic churches in Italy. Below, the crypt keeps the tomb of Saint Francis, rediscovered only in 1818.
The two churches were decorated by the greatest painters of the late thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, making them a true cradle of Italian painting. In the Upper Basilica, the walls of the nave are covered by the famous cycle of the Stories of Saint Francis, 28 scenes traditionally attributed to the young Giotto, such as the sermon to the birds, the gift of the cloak and the stigmata, which tell the life of the saint with a new realism; the apse and transept preserve the frescoes of Cimabue, including a dramatic Crucifixion. In the Lower Basilica, there are other works by Cimabue, including the Maestà with the famous portrait of Saint Francis, and frescoes by Simone Martini and Pietro Lorenzetti. In 1997 an earthquake caused part of the vault of the Upper Basilica to collapse, killing four people, but the frescoes were patiently restored and the church reopened in 1999.
Tip: dress respectfully, with shoulders and knees covered; book a guided tour with the friars to understand the frescoes.
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