santa maria degli angeli

This large exquisite church houses the little Chapel where St Francis of Assisi heard Jesus speak to him from an ancient cross telling him to repair his church. ( The cross now hangs in the Convent of St Clare just up the hill in the old town of Assisi.) The little church, the Porziuncola, is just beautiful and so awe-inspiring. It is thought this little church was built around the year 350 and that some relics from Mary were brought here. This is the place where St. Francis died as well. This is a venerated sacred place for Catholics and Christians . If you visit the Basilica of St. Francis, be sure you travel a short way downhill and see this church. It will make your visit to Assisi more complete. I highly recommend.

Definitely one of the most beautiful and inspiring places in Assisi. Assisi in one of my favorite cities in Italy and every time that I come back I feel so good and peaceful. If possible visit Santa Maria degli Angeli without a group tour as you will have all the time you need to feel the good energy that it has to offer.

We caught a bus to Santa Maria because we had heard it was where St Francis died. We arrived about 10.30am and spent time in the museum and bookshop. Then about 11.45 we walked into the church. We had just begun to look around and could see the Portiuncula where Francis died at the front when a staff member announced that the church was closing and would not reopen until 2.30pm. We should have realised that siesta in Italy happens everywhere and this includes churches. But nut was very disappointing. We didn't feel like hanging around for two and a half hours so left without having seen the Portiuncula. Ah, maybe another time.

This is a beautiful church not always visited by tours but definitely worth a separate stop while visiting Assisi. This is the church you see from the hilltop while you're at the St. Francis Basilica.

Santa Maria degli Angeli is trying to match St. Peters in Rome for grandeur. It succeeds. this is an enormous church. I was not aware how old it was when i was there- it had an 18th or 19th century appearance about it. in fact it was built 1569-1679. I think a recall seeing a date on the dome which was later than that. in some ways it is best seen from a distance. It looks really impressive from the adjoining hill town. It was designed by Galeazzo Alessi architect. The size is 126m long x 65m wide and 75m high- high enough to contain a 25 storey apartment block!it is well worth visiting.

Like with the dual basilica in Assisi itself (no animals allowed), one feels somehow shocked at the contrast between this huge, rich building and the humility of St Francis himself. Many must have felt this.

This is a very large building with beautiful art. Inside you will find a small chapel dedicated to St. Francis and the place where he died. Wonderful! Only downer -- our car was parked on the side of the church as broken into --- we lost our luggage with all clothes...disappointing to know that "thou shall not steal" is not really part of this community following.

The original church of St. Francis is at the center of this church. If possible don't miss it! There is just something special about it. I just love it.

We fell across this church on our way into Assisi and to be honest it was far more to my taste than the Basilica itself. Also although there was not much tourist information available there were static phone guides available for €1.00 which gave you a limited idea of the history off this magnificent church. Sadly we did not visit at the time of a tourThe setting is also worth wandering around and with the church lying in the middle of this town (not Assisi) you feel that they are one together. To me very much more spiritual than again the basilica.

The station close by says Assisi, but strictly speaking it is the town named after this church. It contains the chapel where St. Francis used to preach, and the mighty basilica that surrounds it gives way to the holiness of this beautiful, mosaic covered construction.

A must-see: there is Porziuncola inside + it's beautiful by itself. Free admission. No photo allowed inside.

Visiting this church was very special. A tour guide is very helpful. The church is massive, and has much significal history. The connections to St. Francis and St. Clare are so powerful. The square in front of the church is massive. The gold statue of the Blessed Mother at the very top of of outside edifice is very beautiful.

What would you say if you found what you have read is now before your eyes? For more than forty years, I longed to be in this place, to see a history of my faith in flesh. I marvelled at this unfolding of history before my eyes. My brain looked back whe I was a child, reading stories of St. Francis and now I can to uh it see it, sat on it and sang songs within it... That was a very lovely feeling, to be part of history of St. Francis , now my own spiritual history. I could not make words enough to describe a feeling of awe and wonder of how a little man became so great by fulfilling God's command. Francis, rebuild my church !

This was a beautiful church with a very nice history while also being a sacred place for prayer. I really enjoyed my visit to this special town, and this is a must see spot.

Right near the train/ bus station so you can do old town and this area without hardship ... simple bus up and back to see this and explore the restaurants nearby....