June 17, 2024
Life is full of the unexpected. We know that all too well. Well, getting to Assisi has almost too many unexpected events to count. After flying from Edinburgh to Florence the first train was cancelled so I booked the next one only to find it was cancelled too, along with all other trains that day due to a strike. So I was stranded in Florence because everyone else had already booked the busses from Florence to Assisi. The next day the bus was an hour late which meant I couldn’t see the church in Assisi before it closed, I missed the local bus and had to wait an extra 30 minutes, and then the bus driver didn’t hear me request the stop I wanted so he dropped me off at the next one and I had to walk back with all my luggage. So bottom line, instead of having a day and a half in Assisi, I had half a day. Yet Assisi even for half a day was inspiring. The monastery I stayed at was so gracious and welcoming.
Accommodations were simple but comfortable.
And the views from the monastery were gorgeous. It was a place of oasis after a harried past 24 hours.
First thing I did was get gelato. Ah, that makes everything better!
I was able to see everything on my itinerary except for 1 site that was too far away. So why did I go to such great efforts to see this small city? Two people: Francis and Clare. Let’s start with Clare. She was born into nobility in 1182 and raised in a deeply religious family. This is the font she was baptized in. By the way it’s the same font that her contemporary, Francis, was also baptized in.
At the age of 17 she forsook (never forsake a chance to use the word forsook) her family and two marriage proposals to join Francis. In a symbolic gesture Clare sheared off her blonde hair and replaced her designer clothes with a simple cassock. This kind of clothing is what she would wear for the rest of her life.
This San Damiano church is where Francis brought Clare and her followers to establish the Poor Clares and thus became the founder of the Franciscan nuns.
Clare stayed here until her death. This was her dining hall where she ate and where in 1228 Pope Gregory IX came to visit her and asked her to give the blessing. The flower is where she sat.
This is the small chapel where she and the sisters spent much time in prayer.
Clare created this space for her personal prayer time as she communed with God.
She was a force to be reckoned, not only turning her back on her family and wealth, but in 1240 when she was sick, she asked to be brought out to this cloister and confronted Frederick II from Germany and his army who had invaded the church. Due to the power of her prayers, they ended up leaving and not harming anyone. She had guts!
This is where she and the sisters slept on straw mats…
as well as the place where she died.
Clare was laid to rest in a Basilica named after her and has been a site for pilgrims to visit ever since. She was a woman after God’s heart, full of faith and courage, and inspires women today to continue that legacy.
San Damiano Church is in a beautiful surroundings. I couldn’t help but notice the overwhelming sound of the birds.
San Damiano is distinctly Fransiscan nestled in a serene and rural setting among olive groves, cypresses, and wildflowers overlooking the valley. I could see why Clare and Francis were known for their love from and appreciation of nature and creation.
Francis was born in 1182. According to tradition, an elderly pilgrim arrived in Assisi shortly before his mother, Pica, went into labor. This pilgrim advised Pica to move from her luxurious chamber to a humble stable within the house for a smoother delivery. Despite being in labor, Pica followed this advice. Thus, Francis was born on straw in a small modest stable, echoing the humble circumstances of the One he would later worship. This is the relatively unknown place where his birth is said to have occurred.
It was my favorite place of all Assisi. Small. Plain. Bare. Uncrowded. Unknown. As a humble birthplace should be. I even came back here right before dinner to soak up the silence and simplicity of this place.
The engraving on top of the doorway reads: “This Oratory was the stable of the ox and the donkey where Saint Francis was born, mirror of the World.”
Next came the place where his parents’ house was. There is a statue of his parents, Pierre and Pica.
Inside the church there is the room where Francis’ father beat and then chained his son up in an attempt to keep him from a life of devotion to God and the poor, hoping to steer him back to the lucrative family silk trade. Thanks, Dad, for not chaining me up when I said I was called into the ministry.
Above it is a painting of his father in anger and mom interceding on her son’s behalf. It is said that his mom was the mom who released Francis from the prison.
Just outside there is the “stable” where Francis was born complete with statues to help us understand the event. Notice the wise men and shepherd with an angel accompanying the birth.
This was a room in Francis boyhood home that was used either as his father’s shop and/or a warehouse to store goods.
Francis had a vision that led him to aspire to become a knight and join the papal army. He put on his armor, acquired a horse, and set off for Rome. But along the way he asked a question to God that many of us ask, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” The reply he heard was, “Go back to your city and you will be told what you must do.” So he did, knowing that he might face shame and ridicule from his family for abandoning his great aspirations. The statue portrays Francis in a humility, slouched in his saddle, head and shoulders drooping.
If you look closely you can also see a message in the lawn, a message as needed today as it was in Francis’ day. (Hint: It’s Latin for peace.)
So Francis returned to his hometown, but now what? He waited for divine inspiration. In 1205 it came as he was praying in the ruins of San Damiano Church as he was pondering this exact cross.
Jesus spoke to him from this cross saying, “Go Francis, and rebuild my house which, as you can see, is falling into ruin.” Francis set to work restoring the church of San Damiano, the future home of Clare and her fellow sisters. Only later did he understand that the Lord was also calling him to work for the building up of the church of Jesus Christ through people as he established his own order and had the Franciscans blessed by the pope.
Beneath the main altar of the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels lies a humble hut-chapel which are the excavated remnants of Francis’s simple stone dwelling that was the old monastery where he died. The remnants are surrounded by 14th century frescoes depicting his life.
Clare and Francis remained close friends and when he before he died he instructed that his body be brought to her so she could say goodbye before his burial. On October 4, 1226 it was brought here so she and the sisters could pay their respects.
The Basilica of St. Francis now keeps the bones of its namesake and is a significant worldwide pilgrimage site.
I do find it ironic that for both Francis and Clare, two people born of wealth and yet found to live simple, poor lives, are enshrined in huge, elegant, gold-laden, ostentatious basilicas. I’m not sure they would want to be associated with such extravagance.
Traveling from Edinburgh to Assisi, I did notice how both cities have the steepest hills I’ve ever walked. I got a work out going up and down, down and up.
Of course all fortresses and castles are on the highest point.
While I didn’t have time to go inside, I did get some great views.
I love to get recommendations from people who have gone to these same places previously. My amazing spiritual director had been to Assisi and highly recommended this place for dinner.
I was the first dinner guest of the entire restaurant at 7:15. It was partly underground and had beautiful arches reminding me of an ancient excavation.
The food was both well presented and delicious. I couldn’t resist Italian Caprese salad.
And of course, I had to get pasta. I asked for what the waiter recommended and it didn’t disappoint, although I couldn’t tell you what it was.
It was a lot of work and patience to get to Assisi but the many sites related to Frances and Clare were moving and at the end of the day, I was blessed with a beautiful sunset. The perfect ending to an imperfect day.
The PCUSA Pilgrim Pastor 
Leave a reply to nanabreault Cancel reply