Santa Maria degli Angeli Basilica – Assisi

The Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli is located at the foot of the hill of Assisi. It was built in the late 16^th century to enclose the Porziuncola, the 9^th century little church where a young St. Francis understood his vocation and started the Franciscan movement.

The Basilica was built to better accommodate the vast number of pilgrims that every year were visiting the Porziuncola. It is the seventh largest Christian church; it was designed in a Mannerist style by two famous architects Galeazzo Alessi and Vignola.

In 1832 an earthquake partly destroyed the Basilica. The reconstruction initially remodeled the façade in a neoclassical style but later it was given back to its original pre-Baroque style.