02/24/2007 | Basilica of St Francis, Assisi

The constructions of this Basilica was begun immediately after the canonisation of St Francis in 1228. The land was donated for the church, a hill at the west side of Assisi, known as "Hill of Hell" (because here the criminals were put to death). Today, this hill is called "Hill of Paradise".

The body of St. Francis is laid in the crypt of the Basilica where it was hidden to prevent the theft of relics. It was found again in 1818.

On September 26, 1997 Assisi was struck by an earthquake which caused four fatalities. The Basilica was badly damaged (part of the vault collapsed, carrying with it a fresco by Cimabue), and was closed for two years for restoration.

(again partially plagerised from the fabulow Wikipedia).

07:43 Posted in Italy, April 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)