Editing Assisi (section)

== Main sights ==
[[UNESCO]] collectively designated the Franciscan structures of Assisi as a [[World Heritage Site]] in 2000.

=== Churches ===
* [[Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi]] (St. Francis): The Franciscan monastery, il [[Sacro Convento]], and the lower and upper church (Italian: ''Basilica inferiore'' and ''Basilica superiore'') of St Francis were begun immediately after his [[canonization]] in 1228, and completed in 1253. The lower church has [[fresco]]es by the [[Late Middle Ages|late-medieval]] artists [[Cimabue]] and [[Giotto di Bondone|Giotto]]; the upper church houses frescoes of scenes in the life of St. Francis previously ascribed to Giotto, but now thought to be by artists of the circle of [[Pietro Cavallini]] from Rome. The Basilica was badly damaged by a 5.5 earthquake on 26 September 1997, during which part of the vault collapsed, killing four people inside the church and carrying with it a fresco by Cimabue. The edifice was closed for two years for restoration.
*[[Basilica di Santa Chiara|Basilica of Santa Chiara]] (St. Clare): church, begun in 1257, with its massive lateral [[buttress]]es, rose window, and simple [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] interior; and 13th‑century frescoes and paintings. It contains the [[tomb]] of the [[Saint Clare of Assisi|namesake saint]]. 
*[[Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli]] (St. Mary of the Angels); a large baroque church built to contain: 
** The [[Porziuncola]], a chapel restored by St. Francis next to which was constructed the first convent of the [[Order of Friars Minor]];
** The [[Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli#The Transito|Transito]], chapel built in the cell where St. Francis died. 
*[[San Damiano, Assisi|Church of San Damiano]] one of the churches restored by St. Francis and the location of one of his most famous visions, given to St. Clare as a home for the first [[Poor Clares]]. 
*[[Assisi Cathedral|Cathedral of San Rufino]] (St. Rufinus): church with a [[façade]] in [[Romanesque style]] with three [[rose window]]s and a 16th‑century interior; part of it is built on a [[cistern]] from the [[Roman era]]. Location of the baptism of both St. Francis and St. Clare and the surviving [[baptismal font|font]] carved out of a granite Roman column.
*[[Chiesa Nuova (Assisi)|Chiesa Nuova]]: church built over the presumed parental home of St. Francis. 
* [[The Piccolino Chapel]], legendary birth place of St. Francis.
*[[Eremo delle Carceri]]: a small monastery with a church at a canyon above the town, where St. Francis retreated and preached to birds
*[[Abbey of Saint Peters (Assisi)|Church of ''San Pietro'' (St. Peter)]]: monastery built by the [[Benedictine order|Benedictine]]s in the 10th century and rebuilt in the 13th century. It has a rectangular façade with three [[rose windows]]; the Gothic chapel of the Holy Sacrament houses a triptych by Matteo di Gualdo.
*[[Santa Maria Maggiore, Assisi|Santa Maria Maggiore]] (St. Mary the Greater): earliest extant church in Assisi and former cathedral.
*[[Santo Stefano (Assisi)|Santo Stefano]]: one of the oldest churches of Assisi.

=== Other landmarks ===
The town is dominated by two medieval [[castle]]s. The larger, called ''[[Rocca Maggiore]]'', is a massive reconstruction by [[Gil Álvarez Carrillo de Albornoz|Cardinal Albornoz]] (1366) and expanded by popes [[Pope Pius II|Pius II]] (polygonal tower, 1458) and [[Pope Paul III|Paul III]] (the cylindrical bastion near the entrance, 1535–1538). The smaller of the two was built in [[Roman era]]: it has been only partially preserved, a small portion and three towers being open to the public.

Other sights include:
*the Roman [[amphitheater]], built in the early 1st century AD. Its elliptical plan is identifiable from the medieval houses built around it, and from an arch of travertine cunei. The arena now houses a garden.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pleiades.stoa.org/places/413037 |title=Places: 413037 (Asisium) |author1=Harris, W. |author2=DARMC, R. Talbert |author3=S. Gillies, J. Åhlfeldt |author4=J. Becker, T. Elliott |date=22 September 2019 |access-date=8 November 2014 <!-- 12:04 pm -->  |publisher=Pleiades}}</ref>
*the ''Piazza del Comune'' ("Communal Square"), with the ''Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo'' (mid-13th century, featuring a series of merlons added in 1927), the adjoining ''Torre del Popolo'' ("People's Tower", 1305) the ''Palazzo dei Priori'' ("Palace of the Priors", 1275–1493). The fountains with three lions on the southern side date from the 16th century.
*The [[Temple of Minerva (Assisi)|Temple of Minerva]], facing the ''Piazza del Comune''
*The crypt of the demolished church of ''San Nicolò di Piazza'' also located on the ''Piazza del Comune'', where St. Francis and [[Bernard of Quintavalle]] consulted the text of the Gospels when forming the earliest Franciscan Rule.  
*The abbey of St. Benedict, founded in the 10th century on the Monte Subasio. Remains include the crypt (late 11th century), the apse and the external walls.

=== Art ===
:''See also [[Commons:Gallery of Art in Assisi|Art in Assisi]]''

Assisi has had a rich tradition of art through the centuries and is now home to a number of well-known artistic works.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wga.hu/tours/siena/index_d.html|title=Web Gallery of Art – Art of Simone|website=wga.hu}}</ref>

Artists [[Pietro Lorenzetti]] and [[Simone Martini]] worked shoulder to shoulder at Assisi. The [[Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi]] includes a number of artistic works. Simone Martini's 1317 fresco there reflects the influence of [[Giotto di Bondone|Giotto]] in [[realism (arts)|realism]] and the use of brilliant colours. Lorenzetti's fresco at the lower church of the Basilica includes a series of panels depicting the [[Crucifixion of Jesus]], [[Descent from the Cross|Deposition from the Cross]], and [[Entombment of Christ]]. The figures Lorenzetti painted display emotions, yet the figures in these scenes are governed by geometric emotional interactions, unlike many prior depictions which appeared to be independent iconic aggregations. Lorenzetti's 1330 [[Madonna dei Tramonti]] also reflects the ongoing influence of [[Giotto di Bondone|Giotto]] on his [[Roman Catholic Marian art|Marian art]], midway through his career.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.virtualuffizi.com/pietro-lorenzetti.html|title=Pietro Lorenzetti :: Biography ► Virtual Uffizi|website=Virtual Uffizi Gallery}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.livingitaly.com/Umbria_Art_Cities/umbria_assisi.htm |title=Umbria Art |access-date=23 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130080014/http://www.livingitaly.com/Umbria_Art_Cities/umbria_assisi.htm |archive-date=30 January 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>