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Primary sourceArtifactrestored c. 1208

Porziuncola

Restored by Francis of Assisi · restored c. 1208

The small chapel near Assisi that Francis restored and made the first home of his brotherhood, now enclosed within a larger basilica.

Francis restored this chapel with his own hands and made it the home of his brotherhood until his death.

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Interior view of a small stone chapel with a gabled roof and painted fresco facade, set with an arched doorway, inside a large white basilica. Visitors and tour groups stand in the foreground.
Porziuncola, restored c. 1208. Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, Assisi.

About this source

What it is

The Porziuncola is a tiny 9th-century chapel at the foot of the hill of Assisi. Francis restored it with his own hands around 1208, and it became the most sacred place for his growing movement. The huge Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels was later built around it, between 1569 and 1679, to protect and enclose it.

Why it matters

It was here that Francis understood his calling and gave up his possessions to live among the poor, marking the true start of the Franciscan movement. Clare of Assisi was received into religious life here, and Francis died beside this chapel. After his death his friars built small huts around it, showing how central the site remained to the early community.

Look closer

  • Why do you think later generations built a huge basilica around such a tiny chapel instead of replacing it?
  • What does the choice to restore and live beside a small, humble building say about Francis's values?
  • What questions would you ask about daily life at the Porziuncola that this image alone can't answer?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saint Francis on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Manuscript page in Latin with black gothic script and red initial letter M and red-highlighted lines, with handwritten marginal notes on the right. The text includes 'Altissimu onnipotente bon signore' and 'Laudes creaturarum', consistent with the Canticle of the Sun.Book

Primary source

Canticle of the Sun

Francis of Assisi · 1226

Photograph of a small, aged parchment sheet sealed in a metal-framed case. It has faded brown ink text in Latin with red headings, a large hand-drawn red and brown Tau cross with a figure-like sketch, and a few lines of writing at the bottom.Document

Primary source

Chartula fratri Leonis

Francis of Assisi · 1224

Book

Secondary source

First Life of Saint Francis

Thomas of Celano · 1230

Gold-background panel painting in a gabled wooden frame. A standing robed friar with a halo holds a book and raises one hand, flanked by two angels above. Smaller framed scenes in the side panels show his life events in colorful architecture.Painting

Secondary source

Saint Francis of Assisi and Scenes of His Life

Bonaventura Berlinghieri · 1235

Aerial view of the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi on a hilltop, with its pink-toned stone walls, a tall bell tower, and a large sloping retaining wall. A parking area and winding road are below, with green valley and hills in the distance under a cloudy sky.Artifact

Secondary source

Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi

begun 1228

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