My Journey

Basilica of Saint Clare

The 13th-century basilica raised over the tomb of Saint Clare and the original San Damiano Crucifix.

ITALY · ASSISI 43.0709° N · 12.6157° E
Location
Assisi, Italy 43.0709° N · 12.6157° E
Type
Basilica and Poor Clare monastery Italian Gothic in pink and white limestone, with three large flying buttresses on the southern flank
Dedication
Saint Clare of Assisi
Time Needed
1 hour to half a day Crypt and reliquary chapel add little time
Why Go

The Tomb of Clare and the Cross that Spoke to Francis

Come here to pray at the tomb of Saint Clare and to stand before the painted crucifix from San Damiano. The basilica gathers in one place the founder of the Poor Clares and the cross that opened the conversion of Saint Francis.

From San Damiano to the Hill of Assisi

Clare entered religious life under the direction of Francis in 1212 and lived the rest of her life in enclosure at San Damiano, where she gathered the first community of Poor Clares. She died there in 1253 and was canonized by Pope Alexander IV in 1255. Construction of this basilica began two years later on the southern hill of Assisi, both to house her body and to receive the Poor Clare community, which moved here from San Damiano in 1260.

The basilica is built in the same Italian Gothic idiom as the upper Basilica of Saint Francis on the opposite side of the old town, in pink and white limestone quarried from Mount Subasio. The three large flying buttresses along the southern flank are the most recognizable detail of the exterior. The interior is a single Gothic nave with chapels on either side, including the Chapel of the Crucifix where the San Damiano cross is preserved.

Clare founded the Poor Clares at San Damiano in 1212 and died there in 1253.

Construction of the basilica began in 1257 and was consecrated in 1265 by Pope Clement IV.

Clare's body was hidden in the 14th or 15th century for safekeeping and located again in 1850.

The Poor Clares of the adjoining monastery have continuously cared for the basilica since the community moved here from San Damiano.

Spiritual Significance

Two things are gathered here: the woman who founded the Poor Clares, and the cross that turned Francis around.

The basilica is a working Poor Clare church, not a museum. The community sings the Liturgy of the Hours from the choir behind the high altar, and pilgrims are asked to keep silence throughout. Approach it that way: pray at the tomb, sit before the crucifix, then look.

Do Not Miss · 4 stops

What to notice.

  1. The crypt

    Where Saint Clare is buried, beneath the high altar.

  2. The Chapel of the Crucifix

    Holds the original 12th-century painted cross from San Damiano, the cross before which Francis prayed at his conversion.

  3. The reliquary chapel

    Preserves Clare's hair, habit, breviary, and objects connected with the earliest Poor Clares.

  4. The tomb of Saint Agnes of Assisi

    Clare's younger sister and one of the first Poor Clares is venerated in the basilica.

What to notice
  • The continuous flying buttresses on the south flank, designed to brace a single-nave Gothic basilica without aisles.
  • How the Chapel of the Crucifix sits off the main axis, drawing pilgrims aside rather than past the cross.
  • The visible work of the Poor Clares behind the choir grille, which marks this as a living monastery rather than a museum church.
  • How close this basilica stands to the parish church of San Rufino, the cathedral of Clare's baptism, a short walk along the spine of the old town.
Visit Plans · 3 plans · add to a journey

How much time, and what to do with it.

  • Duration 30 min Best for Pilgrims with a short window

    Tomb and crucifix

    3 ordered stops

    Walk the nave, pray before the San Damiano Crucifix in its chapel, and descend to the crypt to pray at the tomb of Saint Clare.

    1. Walk the Gothic nave
    2. The San Damiano Crucifix
    3. Tomb of Saint Clare in the crypt
  • Duration 1 hr Best for First-time pilgrims

    The whole basilica

    4 ordered stops

    As above, plus the reliquary chapel with Clare's habit and breviary, the tomb of Saint Agnes of Assisi, and quiet time before the crucifix.

    1. Nave and the San Damiano Crucifix
    2. Tomb of Saint Clare
    3. Reliquary chapel
    4. Tomb of Saint Agnes of Assisi
  • Duration Half day Best for Pilgrims following Clare

    From the basilica to San Damiano

    4 ordered stops

    Pair the basilica that holds Clare's body and the original crucifix with the place she actually lived. Walk down through the southern gate to San Damiano, then return by way of the Cathedral of San Rufino, where Clare was baptized.

    1. Basilica of Saint Clare: tomb and crucifix
    2. Walk down to San Damiano
    3. San Damiano church, cloister, and garden
    4. Cathedral of San Rufino on the way back

Pray at the tomb and before the San Damiano Crucifix first, then walk the nave and the reliquary chapel. The basilica is small enough to be received in one visit if it is approached prayerfully.

How to Visit

Entering as a pilgrim, not a tourist.

Enter through the main door on Piazza Santa Chiara. Walk the nave first, then turn into the Chapel of the Crucifix on the right to spend time before the San Damiano cross. Descend to the crypt by the side staircase to pray at the tomb of Clare. Return to the nave and visit the reliquary chapel before leaving.

  • Where to Begin Enter from Piazza Santa Chiara and walk the length of the single Gothic nave before stopping. The basilica is small enough to read in one movement.
  • The Crucifix Turn into the Chapel of the Crucifix on the right of the nave to pray before the original San Damiano cross, the painted crucifix from which Saint Francis is traditionally venerated as having heard his call.
  • Where to Pause Descend the side staircase to the crypt and pray at the tomb of Saint Clare. Then visit the reliquary chapel, which holds objects connected with the earliest Poor Clares.
  • Liturgy and Confession Daily Mass is offered in the nave and the Poor Clares sing the Liturgy of the Hours from the choir behind the high altar. This is a living monastery, not a museum.
  • Silence and Dress Strict silence is observed in the nave, the crypt, and the Chapel of the Crucifix. Shoulders and knees covered; backpacks must be left at the entrance, and photography is not permitted inside.
  • Hours The basilica closes over the middle of the day. Confirm current hours on the official basilica site, especially around feast days and the high season.
Relics, Tombs, Sacred Objects

What pilgrims come to venerate here.

Tomb of Saint Clare

Saint's tomb

Yes, at the tomb in the crypt

Basilica of Saint Clare · Poor Clare monastery
Documented

Clare's remains were located again beneath the high altar in 1850 and moved to the present crypt; the recumbent figure is a wax representation laid over the relics

San Damiano Crucifix

Painted crucifix, 12th century

Yes, in the Chapel of the Crucifix beside the nave

Basilica of Saint Clare
Documented

The original painted cross from San Damiano, brought here by the Poor Clares in 1260; it is the cross before which Saint Francis is traditionally venerated as having prayed at his conversion

Relics traditionally associated with Saint Clare

Personal relics, traditional attribution

Yes, in the reliquary chapel

Poor Clare monastery tradition
Traditional

Clare's hair, habit, and breviary are venerated by long Poor Clare tradition rather than presented as documented beyond dispute

Tomb of Saint Agnes of Assisi

Saint's tomb

Yes, within the basilica

Basilica of Saint Clare
Documented

Clare's younger sister and one of the first Poor Clares is venerated within the basilica

Source note Traditional attributions are presented as tradition, with documentation named where it exists.

Connected Saints

How this place gathers the saints.

Saint Clare of Assisi Tomb of Saint Clare The 13th-century basilica raised over her body, with the original San Damiano Crucifix in the Chapel of the Crucifix beside the nave. Saint Francis of Assisi Connected through the San Damiano Crucifix Francis prayed before this cross at San Damiano during his conversion. The crucifix was brought into the basilica with the Poor Clare community in 1260.
Continue Your Pilgrimage · Continue the Assisi day

Within walking distance.

  • City hub

    Assisi

    Where this church sits within the wider Catholic geography of Assisi.

    City context
  • Sacred place

    Basilica of Saint Francis

    The papal basilica at the western edge of the old town, raised over the tomb of Saint Francis.

  • Sacred place

    Cathedral of San Rufino

    The parish church where Francis and Clare were both baptized, a short walk along the spine of the old town.

  • Sacred place

    San Damiano

    The chapel and cloister below the walls where Clare lived and where the original crucifix in this basilica once hung.

  • Sacred place

    Eremo delle Carceri

    Clare stayed within walls; Francis climbed to the woods. The hermitage on Mount Subasio above the town is the outward axis to her enclosure.

Map · Assisi, Italy

Plan around this place.

Editorial sources

The figure visible in the crypt is a wax representation laid over the relics of Saint Clare, which were located again in 1850. The San Damiano Crucifix is the original; a faithful copy remains in the church of San Damiano outside the walls.

Official

assisisantachiara.it

Image credits
All photography credits
Last reviewed

Pending review.