Santa Chiara Basilica (Assisi)
The Basilica of Santa Chiara is a church in Assisi , Umbria , Italy and dedicated to Saint Clare of Assisi .
The construction of the church and the adjacent monastery began in 1257, four years after the death of St. Clare and two years after her canonization . Until then, the nuns had lived in the monastery of San Damiano .
In the place of the church stood the former church of San Giorgio, which contained the bones of St. Francis of Assisi until they were transferred to the Basilica of San Francesco in 1230 .
The church was given the title Basilica minor on August 9, 1912 by Pope Pius X.
Outdoor area
The church is built in the typical pink stone that comes from Monte Subasio , the mountain on whose slopes Assisi has been built since Roman times. Red and white stripes can be seen on the outside, strong arches support the side walls.
Stylistically, the building can be assigned to the Italian Gothic .
inner space
Inside it contains a nave that runs towards a polygonal apse .
The Chapel of the Cross and the Chapel of the Sacrament on the right side still belonged to the former Church of San Giorgio, in which Pope Gregory IX. Francis canonized in 1228.
The wooden cross from the chapel is that cross from San Damiano , from which Christ is said to have spoken down to Francis. Go rebuild my church . Even today, relics of the saint and St. Clare kept.
The adjoining chapel contains frescoes by Puccio Capanna (1340–1346): Madonna enthroned with baby Jesus, St. Clare, John the Baptist, the Archangel Michael and St. Franz , as well as other frescoes from the school of Giotto di Bondone and Ambrogio Lorenzetti .
On the other hand, scenes from the life of St.Petersburg by the unknown Master of Santa Chiara (Maestro di Santa Chiara) from the late 13th century and a master from the early 14th century ( Maestro Espressionista di Santa Chiara ) are shown. Clare and biblical scenes depicted. The crucifix also comes from the unknown master (1280–1290).
12 columns from the 14th century enclose the main altar .
The crypt was built between 1850 and 1872. It was restored in neo-Gothic style in 1935 and contains the body of St. Clare, which was discovered in 1850.
literature
- Marino Bigaroni, Hans-Rudolf Meier, Elvio Lunghi: La Basilica di S. Chiara in Assisi. Quattroemme, Perugia 1994.
- Alessandro Tomei (ed.): Santa Chiara in Assisi, architettura e decorazione. Silvana Editoriale, Milan 2002.
Web links
Coordinates: 43 ° 4 ′ 8 ″ N , 12 ° 37 ′ 1 ″ E