Page 360 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Italy

358  CENTR AL IT AL Y

Assisi: Basilica di San Francesco

The burial place of St Francis, this basilica was begun in 1228,
two years after the saint’s death. Over the next century its
Upper and Lower Churches were decorated by the foremost
artists of their day, among them Cimabue, Simone Martini,
Pietro Lorenzetti and Giotto, whose frescoes on the
Life of St Francis are some of the most renowned in
Italy. The Basilica, which dominates Assisi, is one of
the great Christian shrines and receives vast
numbers of pilgrims throughout the year.

Lower Church
Side chapels were created here in the
13th century to accommodate the
growing number of pilgrims.

St Francis
Cimabue’s simple
painting (c.1280)
captures the
humility of the
revered saint, who
stood for poverty,
chastity and
obedience.
KEY
1 The crypt contains the tomb
of St Francis.
2 Steps to the Treasury
3 The choir (1501) features a
13th-century stone papal throne.
4 The campanile was built in 1239.
5 Faded paintings by Roman
artists line the walls above Giotto’s
Life of St Francis. . Frescoes by Lorenzetti
The bold composition of Pietro Lorenzetti’s fresco,
6 The façade and its rose window entitled The Deposition (1323), is based around
are early examples of Italian Gothic. the truncated Cross, focusing attention on
the twisted figure of Christ.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp569–73 and pp590–96

358-359_EW_Italy.indd 358 4/4/17 5:35 PM
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Starsight template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2)
Date 3rd September 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm