San Francesco (Viterbo)
The Basilica of San Francesco alla Rocca is a church in Viterbo in the Italian region of Lazio . It is located on the Colle di Sonza in the northeast corner of the city wall near the Porta Fiorentina : it is dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi and has been a minor basilica since 1949 .
Building history
The church was from 1236 on the site of the Castello di Sonza, which Pope Gregory IX. donated to the Franciscans . The Palazzo degli Alemanni , built in 1208, was integrated into the adjoining monastery building. The monastery housed the Theological Franciscan University until its dissolution in 1873.
The church was restored and baroque in the 16th and 17th centuries. After destruction in the Second World War, the church was restored until 1953 and the baroque elements were removed again.
Exterior
The simple facade has a Romanesque portal with spiral columns. The original facade still had a portico and was decorated with frescoes. In 1428 an outer pulpit was added to the right corner, preached by St. Bernard of Siena .
Interior
The basilica has a Latin cross with a square apse and an open roof. The papal tombs are famous. In 1270 Pietro di Oderisio created the final resting place for Pope Clemens IV. In 1276 Arnolfo di Cambio built the tomb for Pope Hadrian V with cosmatic decorations .
literature
- Christof Henning: Latium. The land around Rome. With walks in the Eternal City. 3rd updated edition. DuMont, Cologne 2006, ISBN 3-7701-6031-2 ( Dumont art travel guide ).
- Anton Henze: Art Guide Rome and Latium. Philipp Reclam GmbH, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-15-010402-5 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Basilica di S. Francesco on gcatholic.org
Web links
- official site (Italian)
Coordinates: 42 ° 25 ′ 19 ″ N , 12 ° 6 ′ 25 ″ E