Two years after his death (1226), the construction of the Basilica was started, using the pink stone from Mount Subasio and structuring the body on two overlapping floors.
The Lower Basilica is in Lombard Romanesque style, with a single nave, cross vaults, a large transept, and splendid frescoes signed by Giotto, Cimabue and their pupils. Under the central altar, in a small crypt, are kept the remains of the Saint; it is also possible to visit the room housing his relics and the Treasure Museum, with rare illuminated manuscripts, paintings, and other precious items.
The Upper Basilica instead boasts Gothic lines, and its construction allowed to clearly define the functionality of the two places of worship: intended for pilgrims and the veneration of the Saint’s relics, the Lower Basilica; destined for large gatherings and official meetings, also with the Pope, the Upper Basilica, which houses frescoes by Cimabue and the vast pictorial cycle “Stories of Saint Francis” by Giotto: 28 scenes distinguished by the perspectival depth impressed upon the landscapes and human figures.
The 1997 earthquake seriously damaged the Upper Basilica, especially in the transept area, causing its closure for over two years. Assisi boasts a large number of churches, including that of Saint Clare, in Italian Gothic style, consecrated in 1265 and similar in shape to the Franciscan Upper Basilica.
