Description of the attraction
Sacro Convento is the main monastery of the Franciscan order, located in Assisi and, together with the Church of San Francesco, is included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. Despite the fact that the residence of the head of the Franciscan order is in Rome, it is the Sacro Convento that is considered the spiritual center of the brotherhood.
The monastery stands on a rocky cliff between the valleys of the Tesho and Spoleto rivers outside of medieval Assisi. It was here that Saint Francis of Assisi bequeathed himself to be buried. His body today rests in the lower tier of the majestic Church of San Francesco, painted with frescoes by Giotto himself.
Construction of the Sacro Convento began in 1228 immediately after the canonization of the founder of the Franciscan order. For this, land was allocated on the so-called Hell's Hill - the fact is that criminals were executed there for many decades. And Saint Francis decided to retire precisely here in order to find eternal peace, because his Teacher - Jesus Christ - was also executed as a criminal outside the city walls of Jerusalem. Since then, the hill has been called Paradise. Since the Franciscan brotherhood, according to the charter, could not have property, the built monastery and church were in the possession of the Vatican - they belong to him to this day.
The construction of the religious complex was probably completed in 1239. Then, in addition to the Church of San Francesco, it included a refectory, a dormitory, a chapel for the Pope and a scriptorium with a library. The latter for two hundred years competed with the Sorbonne and Avignon in the richness of its content. In the 15th century, at the initiative of Pope Sixtus VI, the monastery was expanded and served as the summer residence of the pontiff. Two hundred years later, a shelter for pilgrims was built nearby, which allowed the monastery to receive a larger number of pilgrims. By the way, the money for the construction of the orphanage was donated by the Spanish kings.
Today the Sacro Convento is no longer used as a monastery. Since 1971, it has housed a theological institute, which brings together students and scholars from the three branches of the Franciscan order, as well as from the Order of the Clarissines, founded by Saint Clara, a follower of Francis of Assisi.
