Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi
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Our Seraphic father, Saint Francis of Assisi, to whom a Papal Basilica was dedicated on May 24, 1253 to honor his memory in his hometown, enjoying the visits of a large number of pilgrims from all over the world. The Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi is the mother church of the Order of the Friars Minor; Pope Innocent IV solemnly consecrated it in 1253; later, in 1764, it was elevated to a patriarchal basilica and a papal chapel by his successor, Benedict XIV.
Our Seraphic father, Saint Francis of Assisi, to whom a Papal Basilica was dedicated on May 24, 1253 to honor his memory in his hometown, enjoying the visits of a large number of pilgrims from all over the world. The Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi is the mother church of the Order of the Friars Minor; Pope Innocent IV solemnly consecrated it in 1253; later, in 1764, it was elevated to a patriarchal basilica and a papal chapel by his successor, Benedict XIV.
Pope Gregory IX, in 1230, was the one who blessed the first stone of this magnificent temple and immediately ordered that the body of the Saint be brought from the Church of Saint George to that of Assisi, where his remains remain to date.
The Poverello of Assisi wanted to die near that Porziuncola from which his religious life had begun. But to him, who had chosen poverty as the way to love and left it as an inheritance to his children so that they would guard it jealously; encouraged by Pope Gregory IX, the Assyrian people wanted to erect a basilica that was like a foretaste and a sign of the heavenly glory that God himself had given him.
Fray Elias was in charge of the project, which includes three overlapping churches. In the darkness of the earth the first church is dug, which preserves the body of Saint Francis; it is the humility of life from which the first glory of the intermediate church rises, with the splendid allegories of the virtues and above, in a dance of light, the superior church. In the art that decorates the Basilica, the painters intertwine two themes: the passion of Christ and the history of Francis, as a means of e to convey the need to imitate Christ to reach heaven. Biblical scenes and outstanding episodes from the life of Francisco, the densest of his humanity and transformation, extend in parallel on the walls.
The Basilica of St. Francis took twenty-three years to be build. Today, it is a means of exaltation to the “only” Saint, the one who has come closest to the example of Jesus Christ himself.
Thousands of visitors come throughout the year to admire this work, which more than its beautiful walls, preserves the environment necessary to experience the spiritual wealth that the poor man lived.
Today we celebrate the memory of that holiday. May this help us discover the spiritual wealth of Francis to transform us into a temple of God.
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