Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi, Medieval papal basilica in Assisi, Italy
The Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi is a papal sanctuary in Assisi, Italy, composed of two stacked church spaces connected by an internal staircase. The structure shows Gothic pointed arches and Romanesque vaults, with a plain exterior built from pale stone and interior walls covered in frescoes.
The pope commissioned construction in 1228, two years after the founder's death, to house his tomb. The lower church was completed first, and the upper followed in the decades after, while painters decorated the interior walls during the 13th and 14th centuries.
The building takes its name from the saint buried inside and continues to serve as a pilgrimage destination for visitors from around the world. The interior displays wall paintings by artists from the 13th and 14th centuries, depicting scenes from the gospels and episodes from the founder's life.
The two church spaces have separate entrances and different lighting conditions, with the lower level darker and the upper illuminated by large windows. Guided tours are offered in several languages, and the spaces are connected by stairs, which can make moving between them tiring for some visitors.
A chamber beneath the lower church, hidden for centuries, was rediscovered in the early 19th century and contains the saint's stone coffin. Visitors today can enter this underground space, reached by a narrow staircase and lit only dimly.
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