![Chiesa di San Damiano (Church of St. Damian), Assisi](/img/gd_attr/34320.jpg)
Chiesa di San Damiano (Church of St. Damian), Assisi (must see)
In 1205, it was in San Damiano that Francis of Assisi received his divine call to undertake repairs, and where he brought Saint Clare and her followers, "pouring the sweetness of Christ into her ears". Clare stayed here until her death, although the nuns departed seven years later. After establishing the Poor Clares, Francis visited San Damiano only once more, towards the end of his life. Suffering from illness and partial blindness, he composed the "Canticle of the Sun" here. His body was also briefly laid here after his death, fulfilling his promise to Clare that she would see him once more. The church was owned by Lord Lothian until 1983, after which it was transferred to the Friars Minor. They have maintained it as it was centuries ago, a stipulation set by Lothian in his bequest.
Uniquely among sites in Assisi with Franciscan ties, San Damiano preserves an ideal that is distinctly Franciscan – serene and rural, nestled among olive groves, cypresses, and wildflowers, overlooking the pastoral Spoleto Valley. A life-sized bronze statue of Saint Francis sits meditating, gazing out over the valley, sublimely absorbed in the divine presence in all things. Visitors are guided around the complex by signs, beginning outside with a fresco of Saint Roch, the saint called upon against infectious diseases, displaying a plague sore. Above the main entrance, a small balcony marks the spot from which Clare, brandishing the Sacrament, repelled a Saracen army threatening Assisi.
Inside, the church's nave, dating back to at least 1030, is simple and smoke-darkened, featuring a decayed wooden choir and lectern. To the right, there's a small window through which the priest of San Damiano threw the money Francis had given him for church repairs. Nearby, a tiny hole marks where Francis hid from his father’s anger for a month. Beyond some stairs leading to a terrace and small garden, there is a vestibule with a woodworm-infested choir and two frescoes, including a delicate "Madonna and Child" by an unidentified artist influenced by Giotto. Upstairs, there is an oratory and a small dormitory with a cross and flowers marking the place where Clare passed away. A door on the right opens to the cloisters, offering a peek at the refectory still furnished with its original table and oak benches.
Uniquely among sites in Assisi with Franciscan ties, San Damiano preserves an ideal that is distinctly Franciscan – serene and rural, nestled among olive groves, cypresses, and wildflowers, overlooking the pastoral Spoleto Valley. A life-sized bronze statue of Saint Francis sits meditating, gazing out over the valley, sublimely absorbed in the divine presence in all things. Visitors are guided around the complex by signs, beginning outside with a fresco of Saint Roch, the saint called upon against infectious diseases, displaying a plague sore. Above the main entrance, a small balcony marks the spot from which Clare, brandishing the Sacrament, repelled a Saracen army threatening Assisi.
Inside, the church's nave, dating back to at least 1030, is simple and smoke-darkened, featuring a decayed wooden choir and lectern. To the right, there's a small window through which the priest of San Damiano threw the money Francis had given him for church repairs. Nearby, a tiny hole marks where Francis hid from his father’s anger for a month. Beyond some stairs leading to a terrace and small garden, there is a vestibule with a woodworm-infested choir and two frescoes, including a delicate "Madonna and Child" by an unidentified artist influenced by Giotto. Upstairs, there is an oratory and a small dormitory with a cross and flowers marking the place where Clare passed away. A door on the right opens to the cloisters, offering a peek at the refectory still furnished with its original table and oak benches.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Assisi. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Chiesa di San Damiano (Church of St. Damian) on Map
Sight Name: Chiesa di San Damiano (Church of St. Damian)
Sight Location: Assisi, Italy (See walking tours in Assisi)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Assisi, Italy (See walking tours in Assisi)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Assisi, Italy
Create Your Own Walk in Assisi
Creating your own self-guided walk in Assisi is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Assisi Introduction Walking Tour
Assisi is located on the western slope of Mount Subasio. It is 1,300 feet above sea level, overlooking the rivers Topino and Chiasicio. It is a walled city with narrow, twisting streets and alleys. It originally was known as Assisium. Successively Umbrian, Etruscan and Roman, it became a Ghibelline commune in the 11th century.
There were clashes with Guelph Perugia. In the battle of... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
There were clashes with Guelph Perugia. In the battle of... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
St. Francis' Assisi Walking Tour
A holy city for Christians, Assisi has been an eternal destination of pilgrimage since the 13th century for those venerating Saint Francis and wanting to the see where he was born, worked, died and was buried. As the birthplace of one of Catholicism’s most revered saints (and one of Italy's two saintly patrons), Assisi holds religion very close to its heart.
The entire city-sanctuary –... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles
The entire city-sanctuary –... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles