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Ludmiła Pilecka, retouched by Patrol110, Von.grzanka and last one by Lestat, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli

Basilica Papale di Santa Maria degli Angeli in Porziuncola in Italian

Also known as: Porziuncola, Portiuncula, Saint Mary of the Angels

Assisi, Italy
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Religions: Christianity | Place Type: Basilica | Region: Europe | UNESCO World Heritage Site

Overview

The Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli is a Catholic church located on the plain about four kilometers below the town of Assisi in central Italy. It was built around the Porziuncola, the small chapel where Saint Francis of Assisi founded the Franciscan orders and where he died in 1226. The basilica holds daily Mass and confession, the Transitus ceremony on the evening of October 3, and the Pardon of Assisi on August 1 and 2. It is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Present

The Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli is in the care of the Order of Friars Minor, the Franciscan community founded by Francis, through its province of Umbria and Sardinia. It is a papal basilica, a church that stands under the direct authority of the pope. Mass is celebrated several times a day. The friars hear confessions throughout the day, and the basilica is known across Italy as a place to go for confession. The Transitus, the ceremony that commemorates the death of Francis, is held at the basilica on the evening of October 3. The Pardon of Assisi, a feast at which Catholics may receive a plenary indulgence, is held on August 1 and 2 and draws large numbers of pilgrims. The basilica also hosts gatherings of the Franciscan family, including meetings of young Franciscans in the summer. The Eighth Centenary of the Death of Saint Francis opened at the basilica on January 10, 2026, with a ceremony that began a Jubilee Year of Saint Francis proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV.

Religious Significance

Catholics venerate the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli as the place where the Franciscan movement began and where Francis of Assisi died. Francis, born in Assisi in 1181 or 1182, gave up his wealth to live in poverty following the Gospels, the four books of the Bible that tell the life of Jesus. Benedictine monks gave him the abandoned chapel of the Porziuncola, and he repaired it with his own hands. The first brothers who joined him lived in huts around the chapel, and the Order of Friars Minor, meaning "lesser brothers," took shape there. Franciscan tradition holds that Francis received Clare of Assisi at the Porziuncola in 1211 or 1212 when she left her family to follow his way of life, the beginning of the Poor Clares. Francis held the general meetings of his brothers at the chapel. In September 1226, knowing that he was dying, he asked to be carried from Assisi to the Porziuncola. He died in a cell of the infirmary beside the chapel on October 3, 1226. The cell is preserved as the Chapel of the Transitus (Latin for "passage"). Catholic tradition holds that Francis asked Pope Honorius III for a plenary indulgence, the full remission of the punishment due for sins already forgiven, for all who visit the chapel, and that the pope granted it in 1216. This indulgence, known as the Pardon of Assisi, is still granted on August 1 and 2.

History & Structure

The Porziuncola is a small stone chapel dedicated to Mary that was already old when Francis repaired it around 1208. After his death in 1226 the friars built huts, porches, and a friary around it. Pilgrims coming for the Pardon of Assisi outgrew the chapel, and in 1569 Pope Pius V ordered a large church to be built over it. The surrounding buildings were taken down, except the cell where Francis died. Construction began on March 25, 1569, and was completed in 1679. The basilica is built in the shape of a cross, with a nave and two side aisles, and a dome rises over the crossing directly above the Porziuncola. In 1909 Pope Pius X raised it to the rank of patriarchal basilica and papal chapel. A gilded bronze statue of Mary was placed on top of the facade in 1930. Inside, the Porziuncola is located under the dome with a painted facade, and the Chapel of the Transitus is located behind it. The basilica is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and Other Franciscan Sites," inscribed in 2000.

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