
Fast Facts
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Area 186 km² Population 26,196 |
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Genernal Information
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Assisi, is a town in Italy in province of Perugia, Italy, in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Mt. Subasio. It is the birthplace of St. Francis, who founded the Franciscan religious order in the town in 1208, and St. Clare (Chiara d'Offreducci), the founder of the Poor Clares. Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows of the 19th century was also born in Assisi. |
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Main Sights
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Churches
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The Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi (St. Francis) is a World Heritage Site. The Franciscan monastery, il Sacro Convento, and the lower and upper church (Basilica inferiore e superiore) of St Francis were begun immediately after his canonization in 1228, and completed 1253. The lower church has frescos by renowned late-medieval artists Cimabue and Giotto; in the Upper church are frescos of scenes in the life of St Francis by Giotto and his circle. On September 26, 1997 Assisi was struck by an earthquake. The Basilica was badly damaged (part of the vault collapsed, killing four people inside the church and carrying with it a fresco by Cimabue), and was closed for two years for restoration.
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Santa Maria Maggiore, (St. Mary the Greater) the earliest extant church.
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The Cathedral of San Rufino (St. Rufinus), with a Romanesque façade with three rose windows and a 16th…#39;century interior; part of it is built on a Roman cistern.
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Basilica of Santa Chiara (St Clare) with its massive lateral buttresses, rose window, and simple Gothic interior, begun in 1257, contains the tomb of the saint and 13th…#39;century frescoes and paintings.
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Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (St. Mary of the Angels), which houses the Porziuncola. The complex of Santa Chiara from outside the city.
Other landmarks The town is dominated by two medieval castles. The larger, called Rocca Maggiore, is a massive presence meant to intimidate the people of the town: it was built by Cardinal Albornoz (1367) and added to by Popes Pius II and Paul III. UNESCO collectively designated the major monuments and urban fabric of Assisi as a World Heritage Site. |
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