San Damiano
The Voice of the Crucifix and Francis’s Mission
It was probably in the autumn of 1205 that Francis heard the wooden crucifix, placed above the altar of the little church of San Damiano, speak to him. The building was a small structure situated outside the walls of Assisi, set amidst the Umbrian countryside, a place that would become deeply significant in the Saint’s life.
San Damiano and the Origins of Franciscanism
Some years later, around 1212, Saint Clare of Assisi settled at San Damiano with the Poor Ladies, her first companions, establishing there the first Franciscan convent for women.
For these two events, San Damiano is regarded as one of the birthplaces of the Franciscan movement.
“Francis, do you not see that my house is falling into ruin? Go, therefore, and restore it”, he heard while praying before the cross. He took these words quite literally. The following summer he set about repairing the dilapidated church, working as a mason and going about begging for stones. For penitents, manual labour dedicated to restoring ruined sacred buildings was a customary practice; Francis was therefore undertaking something not unusual for his time.
The small church, still visible today within the complex of San Damiano, may date back to the seventh or eighth century, with its first documented mention in 1030. It may once have been a monastery that, by Francis’s day, had fallen into decay. The structure consisted of a single nave with a raised presbytery and crypt. This was the building the Saint restored and partially rebuilt, adding a dormitory above the church. Later enlargements were undertaken as the community of Poor Clares grew, resulting in the present-day complex.
The Canticle of the Creatures
In 1225, the year before his death, Francis was gravely ill and spent a period at San Damiano, cared for by the Poor Clares. There he composed the celebrated Canticle of the Creatures, a hymn praising the Creator through all His creation. It is regarded as the first poem written in the Italian vernacular. The canticle also expresses reverence and care for the natural world in all its forms, a theme more relevant than ever in contemporary discussions concerning the safeguarding of our planet.
Rivotorto
The Sacred Hut and the Life of the First Friars
“At that time the Father dwelt with his sons in a place near Assisi called Rivo Torto, where there stood a hut abandoned by all — so cramped that only with difficulty could they sit or lie down. Often they lacked bread and lived on turnips obtained by begging here and there. The man of God had written the names of the brothers upon the beams of the hut, so that anyone wishing to rest or pray might recognise his own place without making noise or disturbing recollection in so small and narrow a refuge.”
(Legend of the Three Companions, ch. 13)
In the literary sources recounting the Saint’s life, particularly the Legend of the Three Companions and the Vita Prima by Thomas of Celano, it is recorded that Francis spent time at Rivotorto, a flat hamlet near Assisi, living in a tugurio, a very humble shelter used by shepherds and animals.
The Beginnings of the Friars Minor
At the entrance to the sanctuary, the inscription Hic primordia fratrum minorum (“Here are the beginnings of the Friars Minor”) is carved in stone. Between 1209 and 1211, Francis and his first companions lived in this corner of the Umbrian countryside. Nearby stood a leprosarium, where the friars offered comfort and assistance to the sick.
The Protoregula and the Journey to Rome
Between 1209 and 1210, during his stay at Rivotorto, Francis travelled to Rome to present to Pope Innocent III his form of life inspired by the Gospel. The Pope verbally approved this so-called Protoregula and authorised the Friars Minor to preach.
The Reconstruction of the Sanctuary
In 1405 Brother Francesco Saccardo rebuilt the Sacro Tugurio based on ancient drawings. Only in the seventeenth century was a church constructed over the structures that had once sheltered the Saint.
The present building, in Neo-Gothic style and constructed from the pink stone of Monte Subasio, dates to the mid-nineteenth century. It was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1854 destroyed the fifteenth-century church.
The Porziuncola
The Porziuncola and the Birth of the Order
From as early as 1208, Francis was accustomed to withdrawing to the Porziuncola, then a small church set amid the rustic countryside of the Umbrian Valley. There he prayed to the Virgin Mary, to whom the little chapel was dedicated.
The Porziuncola belonged to the Benedictine monks of Monte Subasio, and Francis asked permission to live there with his brothers. Ownership of the church remained with the monks, so as not to infringe the vow of poverty. From 1211 the friars settled there permanently and undertook the restoration of the ancient building, perhaps dating back to the fourth century, striving to live fully according to the Word of God.
Saint Mary of the Angels and Franciscan Spirituality
Before long, Santa Maria degli Angeli became the heart of Franciscan spirituality, called by Francis “the mother and head of all the churches of the Order”, the place to which the brothers would return, especially for the General Chapters of the newly founded Order.
Several pivotal events in Franciscan history took place here.
In 1211 Saint Clare of Assisi arrived, having fled her family home. She was received by her friend Francis, clothed in the religious habit, and together they gave life to the female branch of the Order, the Poor Ladies.
The Perdono of Assisi
It was here, in 1216, that the Saint experienced a vision of Jesus and the Virgin Mary and obtained the grace that whoever visits the Porziuncola in a spirit of repentance may receive plenary indulgence. Thus, was established the Feast of the Perdono of Assisi.
Finally, it was to this place of origins that Francis asked to be brought in 1226, sensing that his earthly life was ending. After his death, as the Order grew, permanent structures were gradually built to house the friars, forming a true convent.
The Basilica and the Porziuncola Today
In 1569 work began on the present basilica, which encloses and protects the Porziuncola beneath its great dome, an unmistakable landmark in the landscape of the Umbrian Valley.
The Eremo delle Carceri
A Place of Silence and Contemplation
The Eremo delle Carceri lies on Monte Subasio, immersed in a dense oak wood above the city of Assisi. The name “Carceri” should not be understood in the modern sense of prison; it derives from the Latin carcer, meaning a secluded and remote place, ideal for prayer and meditation.
Franciscan Eremitical Life
At the beginning of the thirteenth century, Saint Francis chose this place as a retreat for spiritual withdrawal. He would often come here to pray in solitude, meditate, and rediscover silence, away from the communal life centred at the Porziuncola. Francis and his companions did not find a formal convent; instead, they used natural caves and simple huts as temporary shelters. The cells were extremely austere and intended solely for individual prayer.
The Eremo delle Carceri thus became a model of Franciscan eremitical life, distinct from places of preaching and communal living: a space dedicated to asceticism, inward recollection and direct contact with nature. According to tradition, it was here that Francis meditated upon creation and preached to the birds, recognising in every creature a sign of the divine presence.
The Carceri Through the Centuries
In the centuries that followed, particularly between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the hermitage was gradually enlarged and stabilised. Masonry cells, a small church and communal areas were built for the friars, while preserving a simple and sober architectural style in harmony with the surrounding natural environment.
To this day, the Eremo delle Carceri remains a place of prayer and silence, entrusted to the Friars Minor. It continues to be one of the most evocative destinations along the Franciscan way, preserving intact the original meaning intended by Saint Francis: a space of contemplation, poverty, and profound communion with nature.