Porziuncola

The picture on my calendar of Italy today was of a square in Assisi, and that made me look up the town where St. Francis lived. I found something interesting that I hadn't known about - the Porziuncola. Here's a little of what Wikipedia has on it ....

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This little church was given around 1208 to St. Francis by the Abbot of St. Benedict of Monte Subasio, on condition of making it the mother house of his religious family. It was in bad condition, laying abandoned in a wood of oak trees. He restored it with his own hands. In this church, on 24 February 1208, St. Francis heard the call of Jesus and had to make his choice of life: a life in absolute poverty according to the Missionary Discourse in the Gospel of Matthew 10, 5-15.

This little church became the home of St. Francis and soon of his first disciples. In this church St. Francis founded the Order of Friars Minor and from that moment it has never been abandoned by the friars.

On Palm Sunday 1211 St. Francis received in this church Clare of Assisi and dedicated her to the Lord.

The General Chapters, the annual meetings of the friars, were held in this church usually during Pentecost (months of May - June).

Feeling his end approaching, St. Francis asked to brought back to the Porziuncola in September 1226. On his death-bed St. Francis recommended the chapel to the faithful protection and care of his brethren. He died at sunset on Saturday, 3 October 1226.

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- "St. Francis receiving the Pardon of Assisi" by F. Overbeck

The chapel now exists completely inside the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli. If you're interested, you can visit the online Museum of the Porziuncola, and there's now also a replica of the chapel in the North Beach district of San Francisco - the Porziuncola Project


- the chapel from the side