Portiuncula, Medieval chapel in Santa Maria degli Angeli, Italy
The Portiuncula is a medieval chapel in Santa Maria degli Angeli near Assisi, now enclosed within a larger basilica. The Gothic architecture shows in the pointed arches and narrow proportions of the rectangular stone structure, measuring roughly 13 feet by 23 feet (4 by 7 meters).
Francis of Assisi received a vision here in 1216, after which Pope Honorius III granted the Pardon of Assisi. Benedictine monks handed over the chapel in the 11th century to Francis, who made it his first monastic location.
The name means "little portion" and recalls that Francis of Assisi received this place as a gift. Worshippers often kneel before the altar and touch the stone walls, while pilgrims move quietly through the narrow space.
Visitors find the chapel in the central nave of the surrounding basilica and can step inside daily to see the frescoes and altar. On August 2, many worshippers gather for the Feast of Our Lady of the Angels.
The cell where Francis died in 1226 lies directly beside the chapel space and can be glimpsed through a small opening. Few visitors notice the original 13th-century bricks that remain in the lower part of the outer wall.
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