“This is how we saved the Portiuncula”

On the 25th March, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord and the anniversary of the laying of the first stone in 1569, the friars of the Seraphic Province of St. Francis of Assisi celebrated the return of the Porziuncola to the faithful after the restoration work on the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, which began in April 2023.

In the year of the Jubilee and the 800th Anniversary of the Canticle of the Creatures, the Basilica returns to its splendour. The earthquakes of 1832, 1997 and especially that of 2016 had caused extensive damage to the building: it was therefore necessary to carry out a major structural intervention on the Dome overlooking the Porziuncola, as well as the consolidation and safety of the wall paintings of the side chapels, the altar of St Peter in Vincoli and part of the side façade. 

In the event that presented the restoration work carried out, the Minister Provincial Br. Francesco Piloni spoke of "an act of love, as delicate as an illuminated restoration, but as solid as the faith that these walls embody". Of the same opinion is the engineer Mr. Riccardo Vetturini, designer of the interventions: "A 'measured' restoration, calibrated to the real needs of the Basilica, without unnecessary invasiveness. We have listened to every crack, every vibration, like doctors of a venerable body." 

Also present was the Minister General of the OFM, Br. Massimo Fusarelli, who underlined how the Shrine continues to be "a beacon of mercy and forgiveness for countless pilgrims who find renewal and a new beginning in Christian life there. The restoration we are celebrating is not only a material recovery, but the sign of our commitment to preserve this spiritual heritage that belongs to the entire Church, to the Franciscan Family, to the city of Assisi, to the Umbria Region and to all those who seek reconciliation with God". 

In the afternoon, at the event "New lights on the Porziuncola", the words of the Director of the National Museums of Umbria, Costantino D'Orazio, gave life to the art of the Basilica through an engaging narration of the works contained in it, interspersed with musical interventions by the Porziuncola Choir directed by Br. Matteo Ferraldeschi. 

Giovanni Luca Delogu, art historian, recalled how the papal Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels is "a living museum, where each fresco tells a story of faith and creativity". It "protects" the Porziuncola, the humble chapel where Francis of Assisi founded the Order of Friars Minor in 1209. At the Portiuncula, Christ appeared to Francis and granted through the intercession of the Virgin Mary the extraordinary Indulgence of the Pardon of Assisi (1216). Near the apse of the Basilica is the Chapel of the Transitus, where St. Francis welcomed “Sister death” on the 3rd October 1226. 

With the contribution of the Communications Office of the Seraphic Province of St. Francis of Assisi 

Download the Letter of Br. Massimo Fusarelli (Italiano)