My Journey

Porziuncola at Santa Maria degli Angeli

The small chapel where the Franciscan movement was born, preserved intact at the center of a much larger basilica.

Location
Assisi, Italy 43.0593° N · 12.5757° E
Type
Papal basilica enclosing the original Franciscan chapel A Romanesque chapel of the 9th or 10th century enclosed within a late Renaissance and early Baroque basilica designed by Galeazzo Alessi
Dedication
Saint Mary of the Angels, with the Porziuncola at its center
Time Needed
1 hour to half a day
Why Go

A Chapel at the Center of a Basilica

The Porziuncola is the small chapel Francis rebuilt with his own hands and the cradle of the Franciscan order. The basilica was raised around the chapel rather than over it, so pilgrims can enter and pray within the little church itself.

From a Ruined Chapel to a Papal Basilica

The Porziuncola was a small abandoned chapel of Santa Maria degli Angeli in the plain below Assisi when Francis began to rebuild it by hand. Around 1208 the Benedictines of Mount Subasio gave it to him on condition that it remain the mother church of his order. Here Francis gathered the first brothers, received Saint Clare into religious life on Palm Sunday 1212, and obtained the Pardon of Assisi from Pope Honorius III. He died in the cell beside the chapel on October 3, 1226. The surrounding basilica was begun in 1569 under Pope Pius V to enclose and protect the chapel, and was consecrated in 1679.

The Porziuncola is a small stone Romanesque chapel of the 9th or 10th century, with a single nave and a frescoed altar wall painted by Ilario da Viterbo in 1393. The basilica that surrounds it is the work of Galeazzo Alessi in the late Renaissance idiom, with a long aisled nave and a great dome centered directly over the Porziuncola. The Cell of the Transitus opens off the right transept; the Rose Garden and the early cloister lie behind the apse.

The Porziuncola was given to Saint Francis by the Benedictines of Mount Subasio around 1208, on condition that it remain the mother church of the order.

Francis received Saint Clare into religious life here on Palm Sunday 1212.

Francis died in the adjoining cell on October 3, 1226.

Pope Honorius III granted the Pardon of Assisi at the Porziuncola at Francis's request, a plenary indulgence traditionally observed on August 2.

Construction of the surrounding basilica began in 1569 under Pope Pius V to a design by Galeazzo Alessi and was consecrated in 1679.

Spiritual Significance

Spiritual Significance

The basilica is a working Franciscan church and one of the major pilgrimage destinations of the Franciscan world. Approach the Porziuncola as the spiritual center of the building, not as one site among many. Enter, kneel, and pray before walking the larger basilica.

Do Not Miss · 4 stops

Do Not Miss

  1. The Porziuncola itself

    The small Romanesque chapel beneath the central dome of the basilica. The reason the basilica exists.

  2. The Cell of the Transitus

    The cell where Saint Francis died on October 3, 1226, preserved off the right transept.

  3. The Ilario da Viterbo altar wall

    The 1393 fresco cycle inside the Porziuncola, depicting the granting of the Pardon of Assisi.

  4. The Rose Garden behind the apse

    The garden traditionally associated with Francis and the thornless roses, kept by the friars.

What to notice
  • The deliberate centering of the Porziuncola beneath the dome of the basilica, so the small chapel reads as the heart of the larger building rather than an exhibit within it.
  • The contrast in scale between the Romanesque stones of the Porziuncola and the long Renaissance nave around it.
  • How the Cell of the Transitus is preserved at the same modest scale as Francis lived, with only the recumbent statue added.
  • The pilgrim traffic on August 2, when the Pardon of Assisi draws large numbers to confession and Mass at the chapel.
Visit Plans · 2 plans · add to a journey

Visit Plans

  • Duration 60 to 90 minutes Best for First-time pilgrims who want the Porziuncola and the Cell of the Transitus at the center of the visit.

    A First Prayer Visit

    5 ordered stops

    A direct route from the entrance to the chapel and the cell.

    1. Enter the basilica and walk the nave to the Porziuncola beneath the dome.
    2. Pray inside the chapel before reading the Ilario da Viterbo frescoes.
    3. From the right transept, follow signs to the Cell of the Transitus.
    4. Continue out to the Rose Garden and the early cloister behind the apse.
    5. Return to the Porziuncola for a final prayer before leaving.
  • Duration Half day Best for Pilgrims arriving from Rome or elsewhere by train, who want to begin in the plain before climbing to the old town.

    Porziuncola as the Arrival into Assisi

    4 ordered stops

    Begin at the basilica beside the station before going up to the hilltop town.

    1. Walk from Assisi station to the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli.
    2. Pray at the Porziuncola, then visit the Cell of the Transitus and the Rose Garden.
    3. Take a bus or taxi up to the old town of Assisi.
    4. Continue to the Basilica of Saint Francis and the Basilica of Saint Clare.

Begin and end at the Porziuncola itself. The basilica is large, but the visit only works if the small chapel at its center is treated as the destination and the rest as setting.

How to Visit

How to Visit

Enter the basilica through the main doors and walk down the nave to the Porziuncola at the center, beneath the dome. Pray inside the chapel before walking around it. From the right side of the nave, follow signs to the Cell of the Transitus. Continue out through the sacristy to the Rose Garden and the early cloister behind the apse, then return to the basilica for a final prayer at the Porziuncola.

  • Daily Mass in the Porziuncola and in the surrounding basilica
  • Sacrament of Reconciliation in many languages
  • Veneration at the Cell of the Transitus
  • Pilgrim observance of the Pardon of Assisi on August 2

When to come

Pilgrimage dates

Dates that meaningfully change the experience of this place.

  1. The 1st and 2nd of August Next: August 1, 2027

    The Pardon of Assisi

    Universal, by papal concession, at Franciscan and parish churches

    Why go

    This is the chapel Francis asked the indulgence for, and the day the little church inside the basilica is most itself. The friars keep the Pardon here from midday on August 1 to midnight on August 2, with confessions through the day and the Minister General of the Order presiding in recent years. What is offered is a grace, on the Church's ordinary conditions, rather than something arriving here secures; and the same indulgence may be received at any Franciscan or parish church, so coming to Assisi is a devotion rather than a requirement.

    What changes

    • Considerably larger crowds
    • Special liturgy
    • Extended opening

    Spiritually the fullest day here, and not the one to choose if you want a quiet visit.

  2. Running now, until January 10

    The Year of Saint Francis

    Universal, by papal proclamation

    Why go

    The little church Francis repaired with his own hands, and the place he died, stands inside the basilica on the plain below Assisi. It is a Franciscan place of worship in the sense the Jubilee names, and the centenary of his death is felt here more particularly than anywhere except the tomb.

    What changes

    • Considerably larger crowds
    • Special liturgy

Details vary by year. Check the official source (opens in a new tab) and here (opens in a new tab).

Planning your visit · reviewed September 14, 2026

The chapel inside the basilica, and the two days the whole church turns on.

The Porziuncola stands inside the great basilica on the valley floor. The friars publish hours for the basilica, for confessions, for the museum and for a summer evening opening, and they are not the same. On August 1 and 2 the Pardon of Assisi changes the character of the place entirely.

Time needed
About seventy-five minutes: the Porziuncola itself, the Cappella del Transito, and time to sit.
Getting there
Santa Maria degli Angeli, on the valley floor about four kilometers below the old town. The railway station is a short walk away; from Assisi it is a bus, a taxi, or about an hour on foot.
Best time
Early morning, before the coaches. In high summer the friars also open the basilica late on weekday evenings for silent prayer.
Closed in the middle of the day
The friars list a midday closure with a reopening in the early afternoon, and earlier entry for those coming to Mass.
  • Most churches in Assisi close for the middle of the day and reopen in the middle of the afternoon. Plan the walk between sites, or a rest, into those hours.
A late summer opening for silent prayer
For a stretch of high summer the friars list a late weekday evening opening for personal prayer in silence.
  • Dates and hours are set each year. Confirm on the basilica's own page.
Confessions through most of the day
This is a church of reconciliation before it is anything else, and the friars publish long daily confession hours in several languages.
August 1 and 2
The Pardon of Assisi, the indulgence Francis asked for at this chapel, is kept here from midday on August 1 to midnight on August 2. The basilica is at its fullest, and the Minister General of the Order has presided in recent years.
  • What is offered is a grace, on the Church's ordinary conditions, rather than something the journey itself secures.
  • The indulgence is not particular to this church: it may be received at any Franciscan or parish church.
Additional schedule notes

Mass in English on Sundays

The friars list a Sunday Mass in English among the day's celebrations.

The museum keeps its own days

The museum publishes separate hours and is listed as closed on Wednesdays.

Relics, Tombs, Sacred Objects

Relics, Tombs, Sacred Objects

Tomb and Burial

  • Saint Francis of Assisi died in a cell adjoining the Porziuncola on October 3, 1226. The cell is preserved as the Cappella del Transito within the basilica.
  • Several of Francis's earliest companions are remembered within the basilica complex.

Relics and Sacred Tradition

  • The Porziuncola chapel itself is the principal sacred object: the place where Francis gathered his first brothers, where he received Saint Clare into religious life, and where the Franciscan rule first took shape.
  • The basilica preserves objects traditionally associated with the death of Saint Francis at the cell beside the chapel.

Sacred Objects

  • The frescoed altar wall of the Porziuncola painted by Ilario da Viterbo in 1393, depicting the granting of the Pardon of Assisi and scenes from the life of Francis.
  • The Cell of the Transitus, with a statue of Francis recumbent.
  • The Rose Garden behind the basilica, traditionally associated with the night Francis is said to have rolled among thorny roses; the thornless rose bushes are kept by the friars.
Connected Saints

Connected Saints

Saint Clare of Assisi Place of her consecration Francis received Clare into religious life at the Porziuncola on Palm Sunday 1212, before she withdrew to San Damiano. Saint Francis of Assisi Fraternity, mission, and death The chapel linked to the first brotherhood, Clare's consecration, and Francis's death nearby in 1226.
Continue Your Pilgrimage · Continue the day

Continue Your Pilgrimage

Map · Assisi, Italy

Map

Editorial sources

The Porziuncola is the small chapel at the center of the basilica, not the basilica itself. Pilgrim attention is best kept on the chapel and on the Cell of the Transitus rather than on the surrounding architecture.

Official

porziuncola.org

Last reviewed

Pending review.

Photo credits
  1. Hero. Caba2011 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.