Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Italy

The Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor - commonly known as the Franciscan Order - in Assisi, Italy, the city where St. Francis was born and died. The basilica is one of the most important places of Christian pilgrimage in Italy. With its accompanying friary, the basilica is a distinctive landmark to those approaching Assisi. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.

The basilica, which was begun in 1228, is built into the side of a hill and comprises two churches known as the Upper Church and the Lower Church, and a crypt where the remains of the saint are interred. The interior of the Upper Church is an important early example of the Gothic style in Italy. The Upper and Lower Churches are decorated with frescoes by numerous late medieval painters from the Roman and Tuscan schools, and include works by Cimabue, Giotto, Simone Martini, Pietro Lorenzetti and possibly Pietro Cavallini. The range and quality of the works gives the basilica a unique importance in demonstrating the development of Italian art of this period.

The Franciscan friary and the Lower and Upper Basilicas of Francis of Assisi were begun in honor of this local saint, immediately after his canonization in 1228. Simone di Pucciarello donated the land for the church, a hill at the west side of Assisi, known as "Hill of Hell" where previously criminals were put to death. Today, this hill is called "Hill of Paradise".

In 1818, the remains of St Francis were rediscovered beneath the floor of the Lower Basilica. In the reign of Pope Pius IX a crypt was built so that the faithful might visit the burial place of the saint.

QUESTIONS?
We would like to hear from you! If you have any comments or questions about this destination or just need some general travel advice, feel free to leave a comment below!

ABOUT
VideoVoyage.TV is a travel channel specializing in informative videos about various travel destinations around the world. We are publishing a short video every day starting with places around Southeast Asia, but planning to extend our coverage to Europe and the Caribbean in the upcoming months.

SUBSCRIBE
http://www.youtube.com/videovoyagetv?sub_confirmation=1

CONNECT
Website: http://videovoyage.tv
Google+: http://google.com/+videovoyagetv
Twitter: http://twitter.com/videovoyagetv
Instagram: http://instagram.com/videovoyagetv
Tumblr: http://videovoyagetv.tumblr.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/videovoyagetv
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/videovoyagetv

Видео Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Italy канала VideoVoyage.TV