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).
The chapel is first documented in 1045 and was given to Francis by the abbot of San Benedetto al Subasio around 1212, on condition it become the mother church of his community. On 2 August 1216, before seven Umbrian bishops, it was consecrated and the Pardon of Assisi proclaimed. Francis died nearby on 3 October 1226.
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.
On the right outer wall hangs the tomb slab of Pietro Cattani, who died on 10 March 1221 while Francis was still alive. Tradition says crowds at his grave disturbed the friars' prayer, so Francis told him to obey in death as in life and stop performing miracles.
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