Description of the attraction
Chiesa Nuova, which can be translated as New Church, is a temple built in Assisi in 1615 on the supposed birthplace of St. Francis of Assisi. According to legend, the house of his father, Pietro di Bernardone, once stood here. The church got its name because it was the last church in the city, built at that time.
In 1613, Assisi was visited by Antonio de Trejo, the Spanish vicar general of the Franciscan order, and he was extremely saddened that the house in which the great saint was born was in a terrible state. With the help of the Spanish Embassy in Rome and a generous donation of 6,000 ducats from King Philip III, the vicar bought the house. In 1615, Pope Paul V attested the authenticity of the purchase and blessed the construction of a new church. In the same year, the first stone was laid in the foundation of the future temple, which was solemnly brought from the Cathedral of San Rufino. It is believed that the architect of the church was the monk Rufino di Cerchiara, who oversaw the construction.
Chiesa Nuova, built in the late Renaissance style, is distinguished by a huge dome, divided into caissons with a lantern and a domed drum. The church itself has a Greek cross in plan with a central nave and transepts of equal length, inspired by the Romanesque church of Sant Eligio degli Orefici, one of several churches designed by the great Raphael. Inside, Chiesa Nuova is decorated with frescoes by Cesare Sermei and Giacomo Giorgetti (17th century).
The main altar of the church was installed over the room of St. Francis. The adjacent monastery houses a small museum and library, which houses important Franciscan texts and books. Here you can also see a small shop in which Francis sold his clothes, and a cage in which he was imprisoned at the behest of his father. It was there that Francis decided to accept his calling and finally abandon worldly goods.
