Symbol of Assisi, recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the Basilica of St. Francis is a destination for many faithful from all over the world. It preserves and guards the mortal remains of the seraphic saint.
It seems that it was Francis himself who indicated his burial place. On 15 July 1228, only two years after his death, he was proclaimed Saint by Pope Gregory IX who, together with Brother Elia da Cortona, representative of the Order of Friars Minor, laid the first stone for the construction of the Basilica the day after.
It is made up of two overlapping churches, linked to two different phases of construction: the first is linked to Umbrian Romanesque, of Lombard derivation; the second is linked to French Gothic.