CONVENTO SAN DAMIANO

One of the Franciscan high places, where it all began. It was here, absorbed in prayer, that St. Francis is said to have heard a crucifix speak to him: "Francesco, go and repair my house which, as you can see, is in ruins" (referring to the crisis of the Church). From these words, the saint received strength and confirmation in his vocation. A few years later, he founded the Order of Poor Clares with St. Clare. The first restoration of the church of San Damiano was carried out by St. Francis himself who, in 1212, welcomed St. Clare. It is also where the saint wrote the Canticle of Brother Sun (or Canticle of the Creatures) in 1225, a poem of 14 verses considered one of the first jewels of the nascent Italian literature.

Situated outside the walls of Assisi, this peaceful place lined with olive trees includes a modest church with sober architecture that invites meditation, and the convent of San Damiano. The convent, of Benedictine origin, has remained intact and is a fine example of a 13th century religious building. You will appreciate the gardens, the beautiful 15th century cloister, the refectory and the old dormitory, where St. Clare died in 1253. The austere setting gives an idea of the harsh monastic life in medieval times. If you are on foot, you will have to walk along an alley of more than a kilometer from the historic center of Assisi, past Porta Nuova, then a short stretch of Viale Vittorio Emanuele II and turn left at Santuraggio; a little further on, a square leads to the convent of San Damiano.