_Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli. The Feast of the Pardon of St.
Francis or "il Perdono d'Assisi"_
The sanctuary of the Portiuncula has, in its present surroundings,
rightly been called a jewel within a casket--a casket indeed too large
for so small a gem. But the great Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli
was the best the Umbrians could procure for the object they loved best
after their Basilica in the town, and the famous architects of the day
were called in to build it.[112] A smaller shelter would have served
the purpose in earlier times but the ever increasing flow of pilgrims
who came in thousands for the "Perdono" rendered it necessary to think
about a church large enough to contain them; and it was the dominican
Pope Pius V, who enabled the work to be commenced in 1569, giving
large sums to the vast enterprise. Jacopo Barozio da Vignola gave the
ground-plan, leaving the execution of it, at his death in 1573, to be
carried out by the well-known Perugian architect and sculptor, Giulio
Danti, and his fellow-citizen Galeazzo Alessi, who designed the fine
cupola and arches. The church was built in the doric style, divided
into nave and aisles with numberless side chapels; and certainly they
succeeded in giving it a great feeling of space and loftiness, which
if less charming than the mysterious gloom of other churches yet seems
to belong better to the open and sunlit Umbrian plain, where it rises
as a beacon to the people for many miles round. The earthquake in
1832, which laid the villages near Ponte San Giovanni in almost total
ruin, shook down the nave and choir of the Angeli creating havoc
impossible to describe. By supreme good fortune, shall we say by a
miracle, the cupola of Danti and Alessi remained intact above the
Portiuncula, which otherwise would have been utterly destroyed. In
rebuilding the church, Poletti, the Roman architect employed, deviated
slightly from Vignola's original plan, and further he erected a more
elaborate and far less elegant facade than the first one, but baroque
as it is we may be thankful that the niches for statues of the saints
have remained empty. There have been other earthquakes since that of
1832, and when they occurred a pyramid of faggots was carefully piled
upon the Portiuncula for protection in case a miracle might not
intervene a second time to save it from destruction.
The friars took an active part in the work, building the campanile and
carving the handsome pulpit and the cupboards in the sacristy. The
marble altar was given in 1782 by Mehemet Ali, the ruler of Egypt, and
many noble Italian families contributed towards the erection of the
chapels containing decadent paintings which it would be useless to
describe or to look at. One priceless treasure ornaments the chapel of
San Giuseppe (in the left transept), a work of Andrea della Robbia in
terra-cotta of blue and white which is like a portion of the sky seen
through the cool branches of a vine on a glaring summer's day. Andrea
is truly the sculptor of the franciscans, for there are but few of his
works where an incident from St. Francis' life is not introduced, and
with what feeling they are realised. On one side of the beautiful
Madonna who bends to receive her crown from the hands of the Saviour,
is represented with great dignity and simplicity St. Francis receiving
the Stigmata, on the other St. Jerome and his lion. Beneath is a
predella divided into three compartments, the Annunciation, Christ in
the manger, and the Adoration of the Magi; and Andrea has framed in
the whole with a slightly raised garland of apples, fir-cones and
Japanese medlars, which suits the delicacy of the workmanship of the
small scenes better than a heavier wreath of fruit and leaves. In the
Capella delle Reliquie (in the right transept) is a Crucifixion
painted on panel by Giunta Pisano (?) with medallion half figures of
the Virgin and St. John; below are kneeling angels by an Umbrian
artist, whose work contrasts most strangely with the ancient painting
belonging to the dark years before Giotto.
In a preceding chapter we lamented the efforts that have been made to
decorate the Portiuncula, now alas no longer the shrine among the oak
trees; not only in earlier centuries did Umbrian artists cover its
rough stones in many parts with frescoes, but the German artist
Overbeck has added another superfluous decoration to the facade,
severely, but justly criticised by M. Taine, and a German lady has
painted the Annunciation on the apse. A very small picture by Sano di
Pietro of the Madonna and Child hangs above, a very charming example
of the master's work. Very little remains of Pietro Perugino's
Crucifixion, and what there is has been well covered over with modern
paint. The choir of the monks built outside the Portiuncula having
been removed in the eighteenth century half of Perugino's fresco was
destroyed, leaving only the groups of people at the foot of the Cross,
amongst whom we recognise St. Francis.
A naive legend is recalled to us by the stone slab let into the wall
close to the side entrance, recording the spot where Pietro Cataneo,
the first vicar of the Order during the life of the saint, is buried.
He was as holy as the rest of those first enthusiasts, and after death
so many miracles were wrought at his tomb that the peace of the friars
was disturbed. The case becoming serious they had recourse to St.
Francis who, seeing the danger that their lonely abode would become a
place of pilgrimage, addressed an admonition to Pietro Cataneo, saying
that as he had ever been obedient in life so must he be in death and
cease to perform such marvellous miracles. After this when peasants
came to pray for some favour at his tomb no answer was vouchsafed, so
that gradually their faith in his intercession ceased and peace again
reigned at the Portiuncula.
The extent of the present church is so immense that the site of all
the scattered huts of the brethren and the little orchard so carefully
tended by the saint, are contained within its walls. Over what was the
infirmary where St. Francis died St. Bonaventure built a chapel which
Lo Spagna decorated with portraits (?) of the first franciscans, now
seen very dimly like shadows on its walls by the flickering light of
the tapers. Out of the half gloom stands strongly outlined in a niche
above the altar, a beautiful terra-cotta statue of St. Francis by
Andrea della Robbia. The hood is thrown back, the head slightly
raised, and in the sad but calm expression of the exquisitely modelled
face Andrea conveys a truer feeling of the suffering Poverello than
all the so-called portraits. One of these, said to be painted on the
lid of the saint's coffin by Giunta Pisano, hangs outside the chapel,
but it looks more like a bad copy of Cimabue's St. Francis in the
Lower Church, and we would fain leave with the remembrance unspoilt
of Andrea's fine conception. Passing through the sacristy containing a
head of Christ by an unknown follower of Perugino and a small Guido
Reni (?), we reach the chapel of St. Charles Borromeo where an ancient
and much restored portrait of St. Francis, said to be painted on part
of his bed, hangs above the altar; it is in every way less interesting
than the one in the sacristy of the Lower Church. From here an open
colonnade leads past a little plot of ground, which in the days of the
Little Brethren was the orchard of the convent. One day as the saint
left his cell he stopped a moment to speak with the friar who attended
to the land, "begging him not to cultivate only vegetables, but to
leave a little portion for those plants which in due time would bring
forth brother flowers, for the love of Him who is called 'flower of
the field and lily of the valley.'" Accordingly a "fair little garden"
was made, and often while St. Francis caressingly touched the flowers,
his spirit seemed to those who watched him to be no longer upon earth
but to have already reached its home. On the other side, carefully
preserved within wire netting, is the famous Garden of Roses, and
standing in the midst, like ruins of some temple, are the four pillars
which in olden times supported a roof above the Portiuncula. In the
days when St. Francis had his hut close by, this cultivated garden was
only a wilderness of brambles in the forest, and the legend tells how
the saint being assailed by terrible temptation as he knelt at prayer
through the watches of the night, ran out into the snow and rolled
naked among the brambles and thorns to quiet the fierce battle within
his soul. The moonlight suddenly broke through the clouds shining upon
clusters of white and red roses, their leaves stained with the saint's
blood which had fallen upon the brambles and produced these thornless
flowers, while celestial spirits filled the air with hymns of praise.
Throwing a silken garment over him and flooding his pathway with
heavenly radiance, the angel led him to the Portiuncula where the
Madonna and Child appeared to him in a vision. The legend has been
often illustrated, Overbeck's fresco on the facade of the chapel
records it yet again where St. Francis is represented as offering to
the Virgin the roses he had gathered.
[Illustration: THE GARDEN OF THE ROSES AT STA. MARIA DEGLI ANGELI]
A few steps beyond the Garden of the Roses lies the Chapel of the
Roses built by St. Bonaventure over the hut of St. Francis, which was
afterwards enlarged by St. Bernardine. The place where he spent his
few moments of repose and so many hours of prayer, can be seen through
the grating on a level with the chapel floor, and resembles more the
lair of a wild animal than an ordinary abode of man; but such places
were dear to him, and he rejoiced in having the open forest outside
his cell into which he wandered at all times of the day and night, and
where the brethren, ever curious to watch their beloved and holy
master, could see him on moonlight nights holding sweet converse with
heavenly spirits. The choir of the chapel is frescoed by Lo Spagna who
repeated again the figures of the first franciscans, adding those of
St. Bonaventure, St. Bernardine of Siena, St. Louis of Toulouse, and
St. Anthony of Padua on the left wall, and St. Clare and St. Elisabeth
of Hungary on the right wall. The fresco on the ceiling is said to be
by Pinturricchio. The paintings in the nave by Tiberio d'Assisi are
faintly coloured and a poor example of Umbrian art; only the last
scene is interesting, where St. Francis publishes the indulgence in
the presence of the seven bishops, as it gives an accurate
representation of the Portiuncula in the fifteenth century with
Niccolo da Foligno's fresco still upon the facade. It tells the legend
of the "Perdono" which even to the present day plays so important a
part in the religious life of Assisi, bringing crowds every year to
the Portiuncula for whom the Angeli was finally built. Disentangling
the story from the legend by no means diminishes its charm, while we
get a very striking historical scene showing us St. Francis in yet
another light. Once when the saint was praying at the Portiuncula,
Christ and his Mother appeared to him to ask what favour he desired,
for it would be granted by reason of his great faith. The salvation of
souls being ever the burden of his prayers he begged for a plenary
indulgence, to be earned by all who should enter the Portiuncula on a
special day. "What thou askest, O Francis," replied Christ, "is very
great; but thou art worthy of still greater favours. I grant thy
prayer; but go and find my Vicar, the Sovereign Pontiff Honorius III,
at Perugia, and ask him in my name for this indulgence." Early next
morning St. Francis, accompanied by Peter Cataneo and Angelo da Rieti,
started along the road to Perugia where Innocent III, had but lately
died and the pious Honorius been immediately elected as his successor.
It was in the early summer of 1216 that the little band of friars were
led into the presence of the Pope in the old Canonica, but not for the
first time did St. Francis find himself in the presence of Rome's
sovereign, gaining his cause now as before through the great love that
made his words and actions seem inspired. At first the Pope murmured
at the immensity of the favour asked but finally, his heart being
touched by the fervour of the saint, he said: "For how many years do
you desire this indulgence. Perchance for one or two, or will you that
I grant it to you for seven?" The Pope had still to learn the depths
of love in the saint's heart who stood before him pleading so
earnestly for the souls of men, not during his life only, but during
centuries to come. "O Messer il Papa," cried St. Francis in accents
almost of despair, "why speakest thou of years and of time? I ask thee
not for years, but I ask thee for souls." "It is not the custom of the
Roman Curia," answered the Pope, "to grant such an indulgence."
"Your Holiness," said the saint, "it is not I who ask for it, but He
who has sent me, the Lord Jesus Christ."
The Pope conquered by these words and driven by a sudden impulse said,
"We accord thee the indulgence." The Cardinals who had remained silent
now began to murmur and reminded the Pope, like cautious guardians of
the Papal interests, that this plenary indulgence would greatly
interfere with those granted for pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and for
visiting the tombs of the Blessed Apostles.
"We have given and granted it to him," answered Honorius. "What has
been done we cannot undo, but we will modify it so that the indulgence
will be but for one full day." And motioning the saint to approach he
said: "From henceforth we grant that whoso comes to and enters this
church, being sincerely repentant and having received absolution,
shall be absolved from all punishment and all faults, and we will that
this indulgence be valid every year in perpetuity, but for one day
only from the first vesper of the one day until the first vesper of
the next." Hardly had the Pope ceased speaking when St. Francis
radiant with joy turned to depart.
"_O semplicione quo vadis?_ O simple child without guile, whither
goest thou? Whither goest thou without the document ratifying so great
a favour?" quoth the Pope.
"If this indulgence," answered the saint, "is the work of God, I have
no need of any document, let the chart be the Blessed Virgin Mary, the
notary Christ and my witnesses the angels."
Round this historical interview the legend makers wove the pretty
story of the roses which flowered in mid-winter among the snow,
relating that after the concession of the indulgence in the summer of
1216 occurred this rose miracle, and Christ in a vision bade the saint
go to Rome in order that the day might be fixed for the gaining of the
indulgence, and to convince Honorius of the truth of his revelation he
was to carry some of the roses with him. But having already obtained
the Pope's sanction at Perugia, it was unlikely that the saint would
wait another year before proclaiming the glad tidings to all the
country-side, and we may be sure that no sooner had he returned to the
Portiuncula from Perugia than he made speedy preparations for the
arrival of a great concourse of people. On the afternoon of the first
of August the plain about the Portiuncula was filled with pilgrims
from far and near, and many friars hastened from distant parts to
listen to their master's wonderful message. He mounted the wooden
pulpit which had been erected beneath an oak tree close to the chapel,
followed by the seven Umbrian bishops who were to ratify his
proclamation of the indulgence. St. Francis discoursed most eloquently
to the assembled multitude and then in the fullness of his joy cried
out to them, "I desire to send you all to Paradise," and announced the
great favour he had obtained for them from the Holy Pontiff. When the
bishops heard him proclaim the indulgence as "perpetual" they murmured
among themselves, and finally exclaimed that he had misunderstood the
words of the Pope, and that they intended to do only what was right
and ratify the indulgence for ten years. Full of righteous feeling the
bishop of Assisi stepped forward to correct the error into which the
saint had fallen, but to the astonishment of his companions he
declared the indulgence to have been granted for all time. Then the
others murmured still more, saying he had done this because he was an
Assisan and wished to bring great honour to his diocese; so the bishop
of Perugia, determining to set the mistake right, began to speak, but
he found himself forced by a supernatural power to proclaim the
indulgence in the very words of St. Francis. The same thing happened
to the other five bishops, and St. Francis then saw his dearest wishes
realised.
Daily the fame of the Portiuncula increased, and the year 1219
witnessed another immense gathering of people, but this time it was
the meeting of the five thousand franciscan friars who came from
distant parts to attend the Easter Chapter held by St. Francis in the
plain. One of the most vivid and interesting chapters (the xiii) in
the _Fioretti_, pictures for us "the camp and army of the knights of
God," all busily employed in holy converse about the affairs of the
Order. It relates how "in that camp were shelters, roofed with lattice
and mat, arranged in separate groups according to the diverse
provinces whence came the friars; therefore was this Chapter called
the Chapter of the Lattices or of the Mats; their bed was the bare
earth, though some had a little straw, their pillows were stones or
billets of wood. For which reason the devotion of those who heard or
saw them was so great, and so great was the fame of their sanctity,
that from the court of the Pope who was then at Perugia, and from
other towns in the vale of Spoleto, came many counts, barons and
knights, and other men of gentle birth, and much people, and cardinals
and bishops and abbots with many other clerics, to see so holy and
great a congregation and so humble, the like had never yet been in the
world of so many saintly men assembled together: and principally they
came to see the head and most holy father of all these holy
men...."[113]
[Illustration: THE FONTE MARCELLA BY GALEAZZO ALESSI]
THE PARDON OF ST. FRANCIS OR "IL PERDONO D'ASSISI."
We cannot study the story of any Umbrian town without experiencing the
feeling that it belongs to the past and was built in an age, which can
only dimly be realised in the pages of old chronicles, by a people who
were ever hurrying to battle, bent on glory and conquest for their
cities. The character of the inhabitants has changed, and though the
wonderful little cities they built upon the hills remain much as in
mediaeval times, they have a peaceful and quiet loveliness of their own
which could not have existed in those days of fevered struggle and
unrest. The word Assisi brings up, even to those who have seen the
town but for a day, a host of sunlit memories; of way-side shrines
with fading frescoes, whence Umbrian Madonnas smile down upon the
worshippers; of ravines and forest trees; of vineyards where the
peasants greeted you; of convent and Basilica glowing golden and
crimson in the sudden changes from afternoon to sun-down, as they lie
bathed in the last rays of light upon the hill above the darkness of
the valley. All these things and many more pass through our minds, but
the picture would be incomplete if we fail to recall two days in
August when the undying power of St. Francis once more reaches across
the centuries, arousing the people to a sudden return to mediaeval
times of expiation, prayer and strong belief in the power of a great
saint's intercession.
[Illustration: AN ASSISAN GARDEN IN VIA GARIBALDI]
The very mention of a feast savours in Italy of delightful things, of
songs, of crowds of happy-looking people bent on the pleasures of a
holiday as well as on praying for the good of their souls, and as a
feast at Assisi sounded fairer than any other, we determined to become
for the moment pilgrims and seek with them for the "Pardon of St.
Francis." So as the days drew near to August we stood once more on the
terrace of the Hotel Subasio, and as we felt the cool air of the early
morning coming from the mountains, long days of interminable heat at
Florence were forgotten, and Assisi, with her gardens full of
sweet-scented summer flowers, her streets resounding only with the
plash of the water of many fountains, seemed to us indeed to possess
more beauty, variety and brilliancy of colour than we had realised
before. Never had the nights been so still as in that late July, when
the peasants had gathered in their harvest and were waiting for the
time of vintage; only the shrill notes of the crickets answered each
other occasionally along the valley, and the frogs croaked on the
margin of the rills below the town. But soon this calmness ceased as
the country roused itself for the annual spell of madness; there were
voices in the vineyards during the night, bonfires in the plains, and
a general tremor of excitement filled men and animals, setting the
thin Assisan cocks crowing at unearthly hours in the morning. A night
of sounds and wakefulness preceded a day when the people of all the
cities and villages near appeared to have arrived in Assisi, not for
the feast--for it was only the 29th of July--but for the fair. We
followed them to the Piazza della Minerva, no longer the quiet place
of former visits when only a few citizens sat sipping their cups of
coffee, or talked together as they walked leisurely up and down.
Temples, buildings and frescoes were forgotten as we watched the
peasants gather round the booths to purchase articles of apparel and
household wares, bargaining in shrill voices to the delight of
purchaser, seller and onlooker. All the people of the country seemed
to be here, and the Umbrian sellers had decked their stalls with a
dazzling mass of coloured stuffs as attractive to us as to the
Umbrian women. We bought large kerchiefs with red roses on a yellow
ground to wear over our heads at the feast, and enormous hats with
flapping brims, which the peasants, always interested in a neighbour's
purchase, helped us to choose, saying, "take this one for no rain will
come through it, and you need never use an umbrella." So a sun-bonnet
was bought for rain and we went away convinced that no more delightful
shopping could be done than during a fair day at Assisi, when a
passing farmer and his family were ready to help us to choose the
goods and to bargain, and moreover comforted us in the end by the
assurance that in their opinion the money had been well spent. Later
we strolled up to the Piazza Nuova, where an immense fair of oxen was
being held, transforming another sleepy corner of the town into a
busy, bustling thoroughfare. They were quiet beasts enough and we
walked in among them stroking their soft noses as we watched the
groups of excited peasants performing the various rites of selling and
buying. When an ox was sold the broker joined the hands of vendor and
purchaser by dint of much pulling, and then shook them up and down,
shouting all the while, until our joints ached at the sight of this
energetic signing of a treaty. The bargaining causes enormous
amusement, the discussion on either side bringing a current of eager
talk through the crowd; only the oxen were thoroughly weary of the
whole affair as they gazed pensively at their owners. They were large
milk-white creatures, the whole place was one white shimmering mass
seen against the old walls of the town and the blocks of Roman
masonry, calling up idle fancies of Clitumnus down in the valley just
in sight, whose fields had given pasture to the oxen of the gods.
The whole of that day Assisi was full of Umbrian men and women greatly
concerned in buying and selling; but on the next the streets began to
fill with people from distant parts of Italy, whose only thought was
for St. Francis. At a very early hour of the 30th we were roused by
the sound of many voices in the distance; going out on the terrace we
saw a crowd of pilgrims coming across the plain, and others moving
with slow steps up the hill. When near the Porta S. Francesco they
knelt outside in the road and sang their hymn of praise before
entering the Seraphic City. From dawn to evening a steady stream of
pilgrims passed into the town, and the chanting, rising and falling
like a fitful summer breeze, was the only sound to be heard throughout
the day. Such different groups of people knelt together in the church,
with nothing in common but the love for the franciscan saint whose
name was for ever on their lips. They came from distant corners of
Southern Italy generally in carts drawn by mules or oxen, for few
could afford the luxury of coming by train. The Neapolitan women and
those from the Abruzzi wore spotlessly white head-kerchiefs which fell
round their shoulders like a nun's coif, a white blouse and generally
a brilliant red or yellow skirt gathered thickly round the hips; the
men were even more picturesque, with their waistcoats and
knickerbockers of scarlet cloth, their white shirt sleeves showing,
and their stockings bound round with leathern thongs. Some of the
women from the Basilicata wore wonderful necklaces of old workmanship,
and gold embroidered bands laid across their linen blouses, while long
pins with huge knobs of beaten silver fastened their headgear of black
and white cloth. There were two women from the mountains of the
Basilicata who wore thick cloth turbans, and blue braid plaited in and
out of their hair at one side, giving them a coquettish air; they
suffered beneath the burden of their thick stuff dresses made with
straight short jackets and skirts and big loose sleeves. Their felt
boots were ill-fitted for Umbrian roads, and altogether they were
attired for a winter climate and not for a burning August day in mid
Italy. "Ah, it is cool among our mountains," they said with a sigh
gazing wearily down at the plain which sent up hot vapours to mingle
with the dust. Many of them had been three weeks on their journey and
they look upon it as a great holiday, an event in their lives which
cannot be often repeated for they are poor and depend for their
livelihood upon the produce of their fields; but even the poorest
brings enough to have a mass said at the Portiuncula and to drop some
coppers on the altar steps. A few wandered through the Upper Church
looking at Giotto's frescoes, but unable to read the story for
themselves turned to us for an explanation when we happened to be
there. They patted our faces, saying _carina_ by way of thanks, but
realised little or nothing about the saint they had come so far to
honour, only being certain that his intercession was all powerful.
Several peasants sat in turn upon the beautiful Papal throne in the
choir, both as a cure and as a preventive against possible ailments,
and thinking there was some legend as to its miraculous qualities we
asked them to tell us about it. They looked up surprised and very
simply said, "It stands in the church of San Francesco," this was
enough in their eyes to explain all miracles and wonders. A favourite
occupation was kneeling by the entrance door of the Lower Church and
listening for mysterious sounds which are said to come from the small
column fixed in the ground. "What are you doing," we asked, cruelly
disturbing the devotion of an old man in our desire for information.
"I am listening to the voice of St. Francis," he answered, telling us
that we might hear it too, but as he was in no hurry to cede his place
to others we had no chance of verifying his strange assertion. The
priests had a double function to perform, for while hearing
confessions they held a long rod in their hands with which they tapped
the heads of the peasants passing down the church; it was a blessing,
which by the ignorant might be mistaken for some mysterious kind of
fishing in invisible waters. At first the northern mind was surprised
at the familiar way the pilgrims used the churches as their home, many
being too poor to afford a lodging in the town. Especially at the
Angeli we saw the strange uses side altars were put to; a family,
having heard several masses and duly performed all their spiritual
duties, would settle themselves comfortably on the broad steps of an
altar, unfasten their bundles and proceed to breakfast off large
hunches of bread and a mug of water; what remained of the water was
employed in washing their feet. One man who had tramped for many days
along dusty roads and wished to change his clothes, conceived the
novel idea of retiring into a confessional box for the purpose. His
wife handed him in the clean things and presently he drew aside the
curtain, and emerged in spotless festive apparel with his travelling
suit tied up in a large red handkerchief.
[Illustration: WOMEN FROM THE BASILICATA]
Late in the evening of the 30th we happened to be at the Angeli when a
new batch of pilgrims arrived, and for a long time we watched them
reverently approach the Portiuncula on their knees, singing all the
time the pilgrim's hymn with the ever-recurring refrain, "Evviva Maria
e Chi la creo," which resounded through the church in long drawn nasal
notes ending in a kind of stifled cry. There was something soothing in
the plaintive, monotonous cadence as it reached us at the Garden of
the Roses, where we had gone to breathe the cool air which blows
across the open colonnade even on the hottest of summer days. We were
listening to Father Bernardine's peaceful talk about St. Francis and
the cicala which sang to him in the fig tree, and the lamb which
followed the brethren to office, when suddenly we were startled by
shrieks and screams in the church. "It is nothing, only the
Neapolitans," said Father Bernardine, smiling at our distress. But
unable longer to bear what sounded like the moanings of the wind which
always fills one with uneasy feelings, half of fear, half of
expectation that something unusual is going to happen, we hurried once
again into the church. There a sight met our eyes which we shall never
forget. Lying full length on the ground, their faces prone upon the
pavement, were women crawling slowly, so slowly that the torture
seemed interminable, from the entrance of the great church to the
Portiuncula, and as they crawled they licked the floor with their
tongues leaving behind them a mark like the trail of a slug. As we
watched these poor penitents dragging themselves along, unconscious of
aught around them and only overwhelmed by the consciousness that they
must make atonement for past sins, a terrible sense of compassion,
misery and disgust came over us. Who could restrain their tears,
though they may have been tears of anger that people should be allowed
to practise such ignoble acts of self-abasement. One girl especially
called forth all our sympathy. She came running in out of the
sunlight, and after standing for a moment at the entrance with her
eager face uplifted towards the holy shrine, her eyes alight with the
strange look of one bent upon some great resolve, she threw herself
down full length upon the ground and commenced the terrible penance
which she had come all the way from the Abruzzi mountains to
perform.[114] She was very slight and her black skirt fell round her
like a veil, showing the delicate outline of her figure against the
marble pavement. Resting her naked feet against the knees of a man
kneeling behind her, she pushed herself forward with the movement of a
caterpillar. Another man tapped his pilgrim's staff sharply on the
floor in front of her face to direct her towards the chapel, whilst
her mother ever now and then bent down to smooth away the tangle of
dark hair which fell round the girl like a shroud. Though prematurely
aged by toil and suffering, the elder woman had a beautiful face,
reminding one of a Mater Dolorosa as with bitter tears she assisted at
her daughter's deep humiliation. Just as this sad little group neared
the Portiuncula the girl stopped as though her strength were
exhausted, when the mother, choked by sobs, lifted the heavy masses of
her daughter's hair and tried to raise her from the ground. The
pilgrims pressed round singing "Evviva Maria e Chi la creo" until the
sound became deafening, while the men struck the ground almost angrily
with their sticks, and at last the girl still licking the ground
crawled forward once again. When she reached the altar of the
Portiuncula she stretched out one hand and touched the iron gates, and
then like a worm rearing itself in the air and turning from side to
side, she dragged herself on to her knees. As consciousness returned
and the Southern blood coursed again like fire through her veins, she
started to her feet and with wild cries entreated San Francesco to
hear her, beating the gates with her hands and swaying from side to
side. The cry of a wounded animal might recall to one's memory the
prayer of that young girl, storming heaven with notes of passionate
entreaty wrung from a soul in great mental agony. Other penitents came
up to take her place almost pushing her out of the chapel. We last saw
her fast asleep on the steps of a side altar curled up like a tired
dog, but on her face was an expression of great calm as though she had
indeed found the peace sought in so repulsive and terrible a manner.
Silently we left the church and turned towards Assisi, breathing with
joy the pure air and looking long at the hills lying so calm and clear
around us. Next day, the 31st of July, there was an excited feeling in
the town, not among the Umbrians, for they take the annual feast of
the "Perdono" quietly enough, but among the pilgrims, who having now
arrived in hundreds and paid their first visit to the franciscan
churches of the hill and of the plain, stood about in the lower piazza
of San Francesco waiting with evident impatience for the opening of
the feast of the afternoon. We caught their feeling of expectation and
found it impossible to do aught else than watch the people from the
balcony, and then we went down and wandered about among them. There
were such tired groups of women under the _loggie_ of the piazza,
leaning back in the shadow of the arches with their shawls drawn
across their faces to shut out the glare of the August sun. A crowd of
girls rested on the little patch of grass near the church, some
eating their bread, others sleepily watching the constant passage of
people in and out of the church; for long spaces they sat silent,
listlessly waiting, then suddenly one among them would rise and sing a
southern song, sounding so strange in Umbria. Her companions, casting
off the desire to sleep, joined in the chorus until the song was ended
and they once more became silent watchers. The shadows began to deepen
round the church, the feeling of expectation increased, and the hours
of waiting seemed long to the crowd and to us, when about four o'clock
the dense mass of people in front of the church divided. A procession
of priests in yellow copes filed out of the Basilica, one among them
carrying the autograph benediction of St. Francis (see p. 210), and
went to the little chapel near the Chiesa Nuova built over the stable
where the saint is said to have been born. Here the holy relic is
raised for the faithful to venerate, and the procession returns to San
Francesco. It is a small but important ceremony, the prelude to the
granting of the indulgence. We had reached the chapel before the
procession, through side streets, but soon returned to the lower
church for the crowd was intolerable, and we had been warned that once
the blessing had been given a mad rush might be made to reach San
Francesco and that sometimes people were trampled under foot. Out of
the burning heat we entered the cool dark church where Umbrian
peasants had already taken their places, as spectators, but not as
actors in the feast. Seated on low benches against the wall they
formed wondrous groups of colour, like clumps of cyclamen and
primroses we have seen flowering in a wood upon an Italian roadside.
The gates across the church had been shut, and were guarded by
gendarmes; we had arrived too late. But presently Fra Luigi appeared
at the gate of St. Martin's chapel, and hurriedly we followed him down
the dark, narrow passage leading to the sacristy; we had only just
time to run across the church and take our places outside the chapel
of St. Mary Magdalen, when the great crowd surged into the church. The
excitement became intense, and the pilgrims who had followed in the
procession as docile as lambs now could restrain themselves no longer,
and hustled the priests forward, pressing them against the iron gates
in their efforts to approach the altar. There was a moment of tension
as the whole of the iron screen bent beneath the weight of the crowd
when the gendarmes half opened the gate to allow the priests to pass
through. With the relic swaying above their heads, they slipped in
from among the pilgrims, who, finding the gates once more barred
against them, began to moan and shout with deafening fury. The organ
pealed forth mad music, the incense rose in clouds around the altar,
and eager faces peered through the gates, which were battered with
angry fists as the people pushed against each other so that the whole
crowd rocked from side to side. Through it all stood the quiet figure
of the priest, raising the relic high above the heads of the people
whose voices were for the moment hushed, as the words of benediction
were pronounced. Rapidly crossing the church, followed by his
attendants, he entered the sacristy and shut the door, while four
gendarmes stationed themselves at the corners of the altar to prevent
people from mounting the steps, and others went to unbar the gates.
There was a great creaking of bolts and hinges and in a moment the
pilgrims rushed forward, afraid of losing even a single moment of the
precious hours of indulgence, and cries of "San Francesco" almost
drowned the sound of hurrying footsteps. Families caught each other by
the arms and swept wildly round the altar, often knocking people down
in their wild career, old women gathered up their skirts and ran, the
Abruzzesi in their scarlet jackets, whom we had seen so calmly walking
down the streets, stepped eagerly forward with outstretched arms and
clasped hands calling loudly on the saint. Round they went in a
perpetual circle, first past the altar, then through the Maddalena
chapel out into the Piazza, and back again without a single pause.
Each time they entered the church they gained a new plenary
indulgence. From the walls the frescoed saints leant towards us, and
never had they seemed so full of peace and beauty, as on that day of
hurry and strange excitement. We saw them through a mist of dust, but
they were more real to us than the fanatics streaming past in mad
career, and we greeted them as friends. Then as the sun went down in a
crimson sky behind the Perugian hills, a great stillness fell upon the
people, the gaining of indulgences for that day had ceased, and
quietly those who had no shelters went into the country lanes to pass
the night, or rested beneath a gateway of the town. Already Assisi was
returning to her long spell of silence, for next morning at dawn the
pilgrims would be on their road to Sta. Maria degli Angeli for the
early morning mass.
[Illustration: SAN FRANCESCO AND THE LOWER PIAZZA]
Rashly we left the quietness of the town to join the crowd again down
in the plain late the next afternoon when the feast was nearly over.
The press of people was felt more at the Angeli than at San Francesco,
as they gained the indulgence by simply walking round the church and
through the Portiuncula without going outside. It was useless to
struggle, or to attempt to go the way we wanted, for we were simply
carried off our feet and borne round the church in breathless haste in
the temperature of a Turkish bath. There were moments of suspense when
we doubted, as the crowd bore us swiftly forward, whether we should
pass the confessional boxes without being crushed against the sharp
corners. The cries of "Evviva Maria, Evviva San Francesco," became
deafening as we neared the Portiuncula, and the people surged through
the doors, throwing handfuls of coppers and silver coins upon the
altar steps, and even at the picture of the Madonna above the altar in
their extraordinary enthusiasm. How tired they looked, but in their
eyes was a fixed look showing the feelings which spurred them on to
gain as much grace as time would allow. They never paused, they never
rested. With a last glance back upon the people and the names of Mary
and Frances ringing in our ears we left the stifling atmosphere for
the burning, but pure air outside.
How peaceful it all seemed in comparison to the scene we had just
witnessed. The Piazza was full of booths as on a market day, with rows
of coloured handkerchiefs, sea-green dresses such as the peasants
like, and endless toys and religious objects; old women sat under
large green umbrellas selling cakes, and cooks, in white aprons and
caps, stood by their pots and pans ready to serve you an excellent
meal. From under a tree a man sprang up as we passed with something of
the pilgrim's eagerness about him, saying, "See, I will sing you a
song and dance for you," shaking his companions from their sleep and
snatching up his accordion, he began a wild, warlike dance upon the
grass, while the others accompanied him with an endless chant. And so
the hours crept on, until once again as the sun went down the pilgrims
streamed quietly out of the church, but this time they gathered up
their bundles and walked to the ox waggons which were standing ready
in the road, and quite silently without delay they seated themselves,
fifteen or twenty in a cart, to start upon their long journey home.
Never had the town been so deadly still as on the 2nd of August, when
the inhabitants had gone down the hill to the church of the Angeli
where they sought to obtain their indulgences now the pilgrims had
departed. Very quietly they knelt on the marble floor during the High
Mass, silently they prayed, and with slow reverent steps they passed
in and out of the Portiuncula until the Vesper hour, and the
beautiful, calm evening then found them gathered round the altar of
their saint. "Pray, ye poor people, chant and pray. If all be but a
dream to wake from this were loss for you indeed."
FOOTNOTES:
[112] St. Francis called the Portiuncula Santa Maria degli Angeli, but
now the name is more connected with the large church. See p. 97.
[113] St. Dominic was present at this famous gathering, and the
_Fioretti_ gives a curious account of the way in which he watched the
doings of a brother saint, at first a little inclined to criticise his
methods, so different to his own, but finally being won over by the
franciscan doctrine of absolute poverty.
[114] Those who know the teaching of St. Francis (see _Fioretti_,
chap. xiii.) will feel how the saint would have fought against this
device for the expiation of sins, invented by the priests of Southern
Italy. No Umbrian has ever sunk to such depths of self-abasement, and
during all the first days of the "Perdono" festival they keep aloof,
waiting till the pilgrims' departure before obtaining their
indulgences.
APPENDIX
To visitors who stay at Assisi for more than the usual hurried day,
the following notes of walks and excursions may be of some use. A few
of them have been already indicated by M. Paul Sabatier, in a paper
printed at Assisi, to explain the sixteenth century map of the town
found by him in the Palazzo Pubblico, of which a copy hangs in a room
in the Hotel Subasio.
_In the Town._--The public garden on the slope of the hill above the
Via Metastasio is a delightful place. It was the ilex wood of the
Cappucine convent until the present garden was laid out in 1882 by
Sig. Alfonso Brizzi, when the friars' convent became a home for the
aged poor.
_From Porta S. Giacomo._--(_a_) A new idea of Assisi is obtained by
following the mountain track from the Campo Santo round by the
quarries and below the Castle to Porta Perlici. Looking across the
ravine of the Tescio and up the valley of Gualdo and Nocera is a
vision of Umbrian country in its austerest mood. Even if the whole of
this walk cannot be taken we recommend all to follow the broad smooth
road leading to the Campo Santo for a little, as the view of San
Francesco and the valley beyond is very beautiful. (_b_) By taking the
Via di Fontanella (see map), straight down the hillside, the
picturesque bridge of S. Croce is reached in about twenty minutes. M.
Sabatier recommends the ascent of Col Caprile just opposite for the
fine view of Assisi, but those who do not care for an hour's climb
would do well, having seen the old bridge and its charming
surroundings, to retrace their steps, and after about two minutes turn
off to the right through the fields along a narrow footpath leading to
a bridge over the Tescio and a farmhouse. Following the right bank of
the torrent we reach the Ponte S. Vittorino (see map), and return to
the town by the old road skirting the walls of the franciscan convent
and emerging opposite the Porta S. Francesco. Want of space prevents
more being said than to urge all visitors to go this walk, which is
little known and will be found one of the loveliest they have ever
seen. Every step brings something new; banks of orchis and cyclamen,
glimpses of crimson and yellow rock in the brushwood by the hillside,
the soft blue distance of the valley beyond, and above all,
innumerable views of San Francesco, seen now with a bridge in the
foreground, now framed in by the curved and spreading branches of an
oak, and at every turn carrying our thoughts away to valleys of
Southern France and fortress-churches crowning the wooded hills (see
illustrations, pp. 215, 220). To realise the variety of scenery to be
found in Umbria we must come to Assisi and hunt out her hidden lanes
and byways.
_From Porta Perlici._--(_a_) Out of this gate, turning to the left by
the city walls, is one of the roads leading to the Castle; the others
are clearly marked on the map. (_b_) The carriage road to Gualdo and
Nocera goes for some miles along the valley, but is not completed.
_From Porta Cappucini._--(_a_) The Rocca Minore is reached by a grass
path going up the hill just inside the walls. A fine view of the
eastern slope of Assisi is obtained (see illustration, p. 10). (_b_)
The Carceri is about an hour's walk from this gate, donkeys are to be
had in the town for the excursion, or a small carriage drawn by a
horse and a pair of oxen can get there, but it is the least pleasant
way of going.
_From Porta Nuova._--(_a_) A pleasant though not the shortest way back
to the town, is the one which skirts round the hill inside the
mediaeval walls from this gate to Porta Mojano, and then outside the
walls through the fields past the Portaccia to the carriage road just
below Porta S. Pietro. (_b_) The ascent of Monte Subasio occupies
about two hours and a half, though quick walkers will do it in less
time. There are several paths which anyone will indicate to the
traveller. The easiest, though the longest (about four hours), is the
one mentioned by M. Sabatier, the road to Gabbiano and Satriano, which
branches off to the left from the Foligno road not far from the Porta
Nuova. After walking along the Gabbiano road for an hour, a lane leads
up the hill for another hour to the ruined abbey of San Benedetto (p.
82). The path skirts the mountain to Sasso Rosso, three quarters of an
hour, the site of the fortress of the family of St. Clare, and then
one hour and a half brings us to the southern slope of Mount Subasio
called the Civitelle, where the craters of the extinct volcano are to
be seen. The highest point (1290 metres), is reached in another half
hour. The view is very fine; Nocera and Gualdo lie to the north, Monte
Amiata to the west, a range of snowy mountains to the south, Mount
Terminillo, the Sabine Appenines and the mountains of the Abruzzi, and
Mount Sibella to the east. The return to Assisi, without passing the
Carceri, takes two hours. (_c_) The road to San Damiano is marked on
the map; it is good but very steep, requiring oxen to draw the
carriage up the hill on the return. On foot it is only a quarter of an
hour from the gate. (_d_) A long day's drive will take the traveller
to Spello, Foligno and Montefalco, but it is a tiring excursion and
only a faint idea can be obtained of these beautiful Umbrian towns. It
is better, if possible, to give a day to each, and to see Bevagna,
with her two exquisite romanesque buildings, on the way to Montefalco.
_From Porta Mojano._--(_a_) To follow the path taken by St. Francis,
when carried from the bishop's palace to the Portiuncula (p. 111),
just before his death, we must take the road leading from the gateway
to a small chapel, and turn to the right down a lane marked Valecchio
on the map. St. Francis either passed through Porta Mojano or the
Portaccia (now closed), but from here we follow in his footsteps
straight down the hill to the hamlet of Valecchio, set so charmingly
on a grass plot among the walnut trees, with part of its watch tower
still standing (p. 104). In the plain we come to cross roads; the one
on the left leads to San Damiano in about forty minutes, that to the
right to the leper hospital (now known as S. Agostino), whence St.
Francis blessed Assisi for the last time (p. 111). (_b_) From the gate
a few minutes brings us to a path crossing the fields to the left, to
the old church of S. Masseo built in 1081 by Lupone Count of Assisi to
serve as a chapel to the monastery, now the dwelling place of peasant
families. (_c_) From Porta Mojano a lane leads straight down to the
plain, and just before reaching the high road where it crosses the
railway at right angles, the chapel of S. Rufino d'Arce--the real
Rivo-Torto--is seen in the fields to the left (see pp. 93-95). By the
side of the lane close to the railway line is the chapel of Sta. Maria
Maddalena (see pp. 93-95). This is about half an hour's walk.
_From Porta S. Francesco._--There are several drives. (_a_) Perugia.
(_b_) Bastia, the first station on the railway between Assisi and
Perugia, possessing a triptych by Niccolo da Foligno. A beautiful view
of the river Chiaggio is obtained at the bridge of Bastiola. (_c_) A
road from the Angeli branches off to Torre d'Andrea, where there is a
picture by a scholar of Pinturicchio. But more delightful is the
chapel of S. Simone a little further on, built right in the midst of
the cornfields, whose walls are covered with frescoes of the fifteenth
and sixteenth centuries. (_d_) A beautiful drive is to the Rocca di
Petrignano, a hill-set village above the Chiaggio. To fully recount
its story, the picturesqueness of its rock-cut streets and the charm
of the chapel upon the heights, whose walls are covered from floor to
roof with votive Madonnas and saints, would need a chapter to itself.
It has been enthusiastically described by M. Broussolle in his
_Pelerinages Ombriens_, but it may be well to remark that he calls the
Rocca di Petrignano, for some unknown reason, the Rocca d'Assisi.
(_e_) It is an hour and a half's walk to the church of S. Fortunato,
across the bridge of S. Vittorino, recommended by M. Sabatier in his
list of excursions. The way side chapel of S. Bartolo, with its
interesting apse is passed on the way.
It would be well to get the Italian military map, Fo. 123 (either at
Seeber, Via Tornabuoni, Florence, or at D. Terese, Perugia), if the
pilgrim to Assisi wishes to explore the country round Assisi.
INDEX
A
AGNES, Blessed, persecution of, 263; enters convent of San
Damiano, 264; assists at death-bed of St. Clare, 271.
AGOSTINO DA SIENA, tomb by, 189.
ALBI, Cathedral of, 129.
ALBORNOZ, Cardinal, takes Assisi, 23; rebuilds castle, 24, 326;
builds chapel in San Francesco, 24, 193; builds portion of
colonnade of convent, 221; 327.
ALESSI, Galeazzo, _note [80]_ 193; remodels San Rufino, 296;
designs cupola of the Angeli, 335.
ALEXANDER IV, Pope, 207; canonizes St. Clare, 280.
---- VI, Pope, 330; 331.
ALUNNO, _see_ Niccolo da Foligno.
ANGELO, Brother, 72; 271.
ANGELI, Padre, book by, _note [57]_ 106, 152.
ANTHONY, St., of Padua, at Assisi, 140; 166; 192; 250.
ANSANO, St., 304; 320.
AREZZO, 20; 239.
ARLES, Apparition of St. Francis at, 250.
ARNO, 72; 250.
ARNOLD, Matthew, quoted, 55.
ASSISI, passim.
AVIGNON, Popes at, 21; _note [89]_ 209.
B
_Baglioni_, The, besiege and take Assisi, 33, 34, 210; feud with
the Fiumi, 33; _note [101]_ 259; downfall of, 36.
---- Gian Paolo, 34, 334.
---- Malatesta, 331.
_Bagnora_, St. Bonaventure born at, _note [95]_ 229.
_Basileo_, Bishop, builds first church of San Rufino, 292.
_Bastia_, Benedictine convent at, 105, 262, 263.
_Benedict_, St., repairs the Portiuncula, 99, 100.
BENEDICTINES, Abbey of, on Mount Subasio, 82, 83; gifts of, to St.
Francis, 84, 103, 264.
BERENSON, Bernhard, 171; quoted, 198, 199, 207, 208; 251; 257.
BERNARD of Quintavalle, 48; 94; 114; 182; 273; house of, 308.
BERNARDINE, St., of Siena, 206; 221; 340.
BERNARDONE, Pietro, family of, _note [22]_ 41; quarrels with St.
Francis, 47, 235, 278, 309; house of, 307; shop of, 308.
BEVAGNA, Roman battles near., 5; St. Francis preaches to the birds
at, 62, 244.
BLASCO, Ferdinando, tomb of, 194.
---- Garzia, tomb of, 194.
BOLOGNA, St. Francis preaches at, 56.
BONAVENTURE, St., quoted, 69, 229-256; _note [76]_ 181; 206; 210;
273; 274; 338.
BONIFACE VIII, Pope, seeks counsel of Guido of Montefeltro, 223.
BORGIA, Lucrezia, 330.
BRIENNE, Gauthier de, 45; 232.
BROGLIA di TRINO, 25; 83; 328.
BRIZI, Alfonso, _note [109]_ 322; _note [111]_ 329.
----, Giuseppe, 197.
BURCKHARDT, J., 164.
C
CAMPELLO, Fra Filippo, aids in building San Francesco, 129; builds
Santa Chiara, 281.
CARCERI, Hermitage of the, 27; 81; given to St. Francis by the
Benedictines, 84; road to, 84, 85; story of, 86-93.
CARMICHAEL, W. Montgomery, 211.
CASTLE, The, of Assisi (ROCCA D'ASSISI), building of, 11, 326;
Frederick II, stays at, 13, 326; destruction of, 14, 326; rebuilt
by Albornoz, 24, 326; story of, 325-334.
CELANO, quoted, 42, 43, 44; _note [41]_ 69; his description of St.
Francis, 212; 229.
---- Knight of, 246.
CHARLEMAGNE, Emperor, besieges Assisi, 11; rebuilds Assisi, 11,
326.
CHIAGGIO, River, 103; _note [101]_ 259; St. Rufino martyred in
the, 291.
CIMABUE, Giovanni, 153; legends about, 154; Madonna by, in San
Francesco (Lower Church), 155; frescoes in San Francesco (Upper
Church), 156-160; Giotto adopted by, 169; Giotto completes works
of, at Assisi, 170; 228; 284.
CHURCH OF SANTA CHIARA, sacked by Niccolo Piccinino, 28, 29;
building of, 281, 282; frescoes in, 283; portrait of St. Clare in,
284; church of San Giorgio in, 285, 286; tomb of St. Clare found
in, 287; body of St. Clare in, 288.
---- SAN DAMIANO, Niccolo Piccinino stays at, 26; body of St.
Francis brought to, 119, 253, 267; St. Clare and her nuns live at,
264, _et seq._; attacked by army of Frederick II, 267, 268;
Innocent IV, at, 274, 278; relics at, 274, 275; crucifix of, 276,
277; choir of St. Clare at, 277; bought by the Marquess of Ripon,
278; frescoes in, 278, 279; funeral service of St. Clare held at,
279, 280; miraculous crucifix of, 274, 285.
---- SAN FRANCESCO, building of, 123, _et seq._; architect of,
124, 125; convent of, 124; 133; 139; 221; 223; 227; resemblance to
cathedral of Albi, 129; St. Francis buried in, 133, 135; legend
about, 136; 144; 146; in the first years, 215, 216; campanile of,
216; _note [92]_ 219; bells of, 219; feast of the "Perdono" in,
351, 352, 357-359.
---- ---- LOWER CHURCH, The, 149, 150; pre-Giottesque frescoes in,
151, 152, 153; Madonna by Cimabue in, 155; Giotto's frescoes of
the early life of Christ in, 171, _et seq._; Giotto's frescoes of
the miracles of St. Francis in, 174; Giotto's allegories in 177,
_et seq._; Chapel del Sacramento or of St. Nicholas in,185, _et
seq._; stained glass windows in, 189; 192; 193; 205; 206; 209;
frescoes by Giotto in chapel of St. Maria Maddalena in, 190, _et
seq._; chapel of St. Antonio da Padova in, 192; chapel of San
Stefano in, 192; chapel of St. Catherine or del Crocifisso in,
193; chapel of St. Antonio in, 193; cemetery of, 195; tomb of
Ecuba in, 195; tomb of St. Francis in, 196, 197; chapel of St.
Martin in, 198; legend of St. Martin, frescoes by Simone Martini
in, 199, _et seq._; frescoes by Simone Martini in, 212, 215;
frescoes above the papal throne in, 206, 207; frescoes by Pietro
Lorenzetti in, 207, 208; chapel of St. Giovanno Battista in, 208;
sacristies in, 209, _et seq._; portrait of St Francis in, 211;
porch of, 220.
---- ---- UPPER CHURCH, The, _note [69]_ 152; 156; frescoes by
Cimabue in, 158-160; frescoes by contemporaries of Cimabue in,
160, _et seq._; stained glass windows in, 164, _et seq._; papal
throne, pulpit and altar in, 166, 167; door of, 219; Giotto's
frescoes of the legend of St. Francis in, 229-250; frescoes by a
follower of Giotto in, 254-256; intarsia stalls in, 256.
---- SAN GIORGIO, St. Francis canonized in, 121; 273; body of St.
Clare brought to, 279, 280; church of Santa Chiara built over,
281; frescoes in, 285.
---- SANTA MARIA degli ANGELI, building of, 335; rebuilt after
earthquake, 336; works of Andrea della Robbia in, 336, 338; works
of Giunta Pisano in, 337, 338; the Portiuncula in, 337 (_see_
Portiuncula); fresco by Perugino in, 337; garden and chapel of the
Roses in, 339, 340; frescoes by Lo Spagna in, 338, 341; frescoes
by Tiberio d'Assisi at, 341; feast of the "Perdono" at, 353-355,
359-361.
---- SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE, franciscan legend connected with, 235,
308, 309, 310.
---- CHIESA NUOVA, 307; 308.
---- SAN PAOLO, 303; fresco by Matteo da Gualdo in, 304.
CHURCH OF SAN PIETRO, 312; triptych by Matteo da Gualdo in, 313;
fresco in, 313.
---- PELLEGRINI, _see_ Confraternity.
---- SAN RUFINO (Cathedral), Frederick II, baptised in, 13; 289;
church beneath, 292; building of, 294; bell-tower of, 290, 294,
301; doors of, 294, 295; interior of, 296; triptych by Niccolo da
Foligno in, 296, 297; connection with St. Francis, 238, 299.
CLARE, St., parentage of, 258; description of, 259; founds order
of Poor Clares, 104, 262; delivers her sister Agnes from her
persecutors, 263; goes to live at San Damiano, 264; friendship
with St. Francis, 62, 77, 265; last farewell to St. Francis, 119,
267; saves her convent and Assisi from the Saracens, 267, 268; her
struggle with the Papacy, 270, 271; death of, 272; miracle of the
bread by, 274, 275; canonization and funeral of, 280; church of,
281; early picture of, 284; body of, 288.
CLEMENT VII, Pope, 331.
CLITUMNUS, river, 5; Propertius lived near, 8; 350.
COMACINE builders, Guild of, 321; house of, in Assisi, 322.
CONFRATERNITY of SAN CRISPINO, 316.
---- SAN FRANCESCUCCIO, 315; frescoes at, 316.
---- SAN LORENZO, fresco at, 323.
---- DEI PELLEGRINI, 316; frescoes by Matteo da Gualdo in, 317,
318; frescoes by Mezzastris in, 318-320; fresco by Fiorenzo di
Lorenzo in, 320.
---- SAN RUFINUCCIO, frescoes in, 185, 323.
CONRAD of SUABIA, 13; 326.
CONVENT of SANTA CHIARA, 281; 282.
---- of SAN FRANCESCO, 124; 133; 139; 221; Guido of Montefeltro
lives in, 223; 227.
CORROYER, E., quoted, 129.
CORTONA, 117; 144.
CORYTHUS, King of Cortona, 2.
COSTANO, 291; 297.
CHRISTINE, Queen of Sweden, 222.
CROWE & CAVALCASELLE, Messrs, quoted, 162, 174, 176, 187; 171;
251.
D
DAMIANO, San, _see_ Church.
DANTE, quoted, 14, 71, 168, 182, 184, 186, 224, 236, 250; portrait
of, by Giotto, 176, 182.
DANTI, GIULIO, _note [80]_ 193; designs cupola of the Angeli, 335.
DARDANUS, 2; 3; 4.
DOMENICO da SAN SEVERINO, designs stalls for San Francesco, 256.
DOMINIC, St., 17; _note [95]_ 229; _note [113]_ 345.
DONI ADONE, 192; 307.
E
ECUBA, Queen of Cyprus, tomb of, 195.
EGIDIO, Brother, 48; 50; 94; 111; quoted, 117; _note [59]_ 118;
132.
ELIAS, Brother, 51; influence of, on the franciscan order, 122,
130, 132; superintends building of San Francesco, 124, _et seq._;
character of, 137; hides body of St. Francis, 135; _note [81]_
196; account of, 137-146; _note [69]_ 152; 306.
ELISEI, Canon, 292.
ETRUSCANS, The, found Perugia, 4; 5.
EUSEBIO di SAN GIORGIO, fresco by, 278.
F
FIORENZO di LORENZO, 165; frescoes by, in Assisi, 306, 307, 320.
FIORETTI, The, quoted, 49, 50, 59, 68, 88, 111, 137, 138, 266,
345; charm of, 66.
FIUMI, Jacopo, murders the Nepis, 32; 33; robs sacristy of San
Francesco, 210; despot of Assisi, 331.
FIUMI, The, their rivalry with the Nepis, 31, 32; mother of St.
Clare belongs to family of, 259.
FLAGELLANTS, The, _note [35]_ 60; 178; 314.
FORTEBRACCIO, Braccio, 25.
FRANCIS, St., birth of, 15; teaching of, 16, 18; childhood of, 41;
description of, by Celano, 42, 212; imprisoned at Perugia, 43;
conversion of, 44; dream of, at Spoleto, 45, 232; his symbol of
the Lady Poverty, 46, 53; succours the lepers, 46, 95; first
foundation of the Order, 48, 49; interview of, with Innocent III,
52, 53; rule sanctioned by Innocent III, 54, 237; eloquent
preaching of, 55, 56, 57, 59; gives St. Clare the veil, 56, 105,
262; founds Third Order, 60; preaches before the Sultan of Egypt,
61, 240; sermon of, to the birds at Bevagna, 62, 244; love of
nature, 63, 64, 65; converts the wolf of Gubbio, 65; friendship
with Gregory IX (Bishop Ugolino), 69; preaches before Honorius
III, 71, 249; stays at La Vernia, 71, 72; receives the Stigmata at
La Vernia, 73, 74; farewell to La Vernia, 75; blindness of, 76,
116; composes the Canticle to the Sun, 78; elects the Carceri as
his hermitage, 81-83; cell of, at the Carceri, 86; challenges the
nightingale to sing the praises of God at the Carceri, 87; dries
up the torrent, 88; causes a miraculous fountain to appear at the
Carceri, 91; prophecy of, to Otto IV, 96; goes to the Portiuncula
with his brethren, 97; visits the Portiuncula as a child, 102;
obtains the Portiuncula as a gift, 103, 104; hut of, _note [57]_
106, 340; blesses Assisi, 113; dictates his will, 114; death of,
115, 116; funeral of, 119, 120; canonisation of, 121, 153; church
built in honour of, 123, _et seq._; secret burial of, 134-136;
influence of, on Elias, 138, 139; miracles of, 176, 239, 243, 254,
255, 256; fresco of marriage with the Lady Poverty, 181; tomb of,
196, 197; autograph of, 210, 211; portrait of, by Giunta Pisano,
211; legends of, illustrated by Giotto and a follower, 229-256;
obtains San Damiano as a gift, 264; friendship of, with St Clare,
265, 266; statue of, by Andrea della Robbia, 338; garden of, 339,
340; roses flower in the snow for, 340; obtains the indulgence of
the Portiuncula, 342, 343; proclaims the indulgence, 344.
FREDERICK I., Emperor, at Assisi, 13.
---- II, Emperor, at Assisi, 13; 61; befriends Elias, 142; 143;
144; 217; army of, besieges Assisi, 267-269; 326.
FRY, Roger, quoted, 156, 228, 243.
FOLIGNO, 222; 278.
---- Niccolo da, _see_ Niccolo.
G
GENTILE de MONTEFLORI, Cardinal, founds chapel in San Francesco,
192, _note [82]_ 198; 205.
GIACOMA da SETTESOLI, friendship of, with St. Francis, 114; tomb
of, 207.
GIOTTINO, _note [78]_ 186; 283.
GIOTTO, birth of, 108; adopted by Cimabue, 169; character of, 170,
178; first early frescoes of, at Assisi, 171-177; poem of, on
poverty, 178; Allegories by, 181-184; frescoes by, in chapel of
Sta. Maria Maddalena, 188; genius of, 228; illustrates legend of
St. Francis, 229-250; characteristics of, 229, 232, 255;
architecture of, 231; contemporary opinion on, 244; follower of,
at Assisi, 185, 251.
GIOVANNI da GUBBIO, builds San Rufino, 294; 309.
GIUNTA PISANO, crucifix by, _note [69]_ 152; portraits by, of St.
Francis, 211, 284; 337; 338.
GOETHE, Wolfgang von, description of the Temple of Minerva, 302,
303.
GOZZOLI, Benozzo, 245.
GREGORY IX., Pope, friendship with St. Francis, 69; dream of, 121,
254; canonises St. Francis, 121, 253; founds San Francesco, 123,
_note [69]_ 152; portrait of, 159; 219; wishes to give St. Clare
the Benedictine rule, 270.
GUALDO, 12; 118; 329.
---- Matteo da, _see_ Matteo.
GUALTIERI, Duke of Athens, portrait of, 208.
GUELFUCCI, Bianca, 261; aids St. Clare in her flight, 262; enters
convent of San Damiano, 264.
GUBBIO, wolf of, 65, 221; 291; 329.
GUIDANTONIO da MONTEFELTRO, owns Assisi, 25, 317.
GUIDO da MONTEFELTRO, a monk in San Francesco, 223; treacherous
counsel of, to Boniface VIII, 224.
GRECCIO, feast of, 242.
H
HONORIUS III., Pope, St. Francis preaches before, 70, 249; rule of
St. Francis sanctioned by, 114, 210; grants St. Francis the
indulgence of the Portiuncula, 342.
I
IBALD, Rev. Father Bernardine, _note [56]_ 103.
ILLUMINATUS, Brother, 141; 240.
INGEGNO, L', 306; fresco by, 307.
INNOCENT III., Pope, 13; power of, 14; court of, 15; 45; meeting
of, with St. Francis, 52, 53; dream of, 53, 236; confirms rule of
St. Francis, 54, 70; 237; 342.
---- IV., Pope, sanctions rule of St. Clare, 271; at funeral of
St. Clare, 279, 280.
J
JACOPO TEDESCO, architect of San Francesco, 124; 125; 129; 156;
216.
JASIUS, 2; 3.
JUNIPER, Brother, 111; 112; 271.
L
LEO X., Pope, mitigates franciscan rule, 224.
---- XIII., Pope, 287.
---- Brother, 51; 72; quoted, 103, 104, 114, 131, 310; quarrel
with Elias, 132; receives autograph benediction from St. Francis,
210.
LIBERIUS, Pope, 98.
LORENZETTI, Pietro, frescoes by, in San Francesco, 207, 208.
LOUIS, St., of France, _note [30]_ 51; 210.
M
MARGARITONE, 158; 284.
MARTIN, St., chapel and legend of, in San Francesco, 198, _et
seq._
MARTINI, Simone, 198; friendship with Petrarch, 199;
characteristics of, 199; legend by, of St. Martin, 200, _et seq._;
other frescoes by, 212, 215.
MARY MAGDALEN, St., legend and chapel of, 190, 191.
MARZARIO, Professor, _note [62]_ 125.
MASSEO, Brother, 59; 72; letter of, 74; 111.
MATARAZZO, _note [12]_ 31; quoted, 33, 35; _note [101]_ 259.
MATTEO da GUALDO, frescoes by, in Assisi, 304, 306, 311, 313, 317,
318.
METASTASIO, house of, at Assisi, 322.
MICHELOTTI, Biordo, 25; 329.
MILTON, John, 14; 241.
MINERVA, The Temple of, its legend, 3; 301; description of, by
Goethe, 302, 303.
MONTEFELTRO, _see_ Guido.
MONTEFALCO, 221; 245.
MONTE FRUMENTARIO, 321.
N
NARNI, 13; 221.
NEPIS, the family of, rivalry with the Fiumi, 31, 32, 330, 331.
NICCOLO da FOLIGNO, triptych by, in San Rufino, 296, 297; 341.
---- da GUBBIO, carves doors for San Francesco, 220.
NICHOLAS, St., chapel and legend of, 185, _et seq._
NOCERA, 12; 118; 329.
O
ORSINI, Giovanni Gaetano, portrait of, 185; tomb of, 189.
---- Napoleone, 185.
---- The family of, _note [87]_ 208.
ORTOLANA, Madonna, 259; 264.
OTTO IV., Emperor, at Rivo-Torto, 96.
OXFORD, 110.
P
PACIFICO, Brother, vision of, 239.
PALAZZO PUBBLICO, 32; 305; frescoes in, 306.
---- SBARAGLINI, 308.
---- SCIFI, 258; 260; 262; 281.
PARENTI, Giovanni, 132; 133; 139; 140.
PAUL III, Pope, 36; 331; 332.
PERUGIA, 4; 9; wars with Assisi, 5, 19, 20, 21, 43; governs
Assisi, 22, 23; 29; 36; tries to steal body of St. Francis, 21;
_note [81]_ 196; St. Francis mocked in, 57; 221; 342.
PERUGINO, Pietro, fresco by, 337.
PIAZZA, di Sta. Maria Maggiore, encounter of St. Francis with his
father in, 235, 309; 310.
---- di San Francesco, 220.
---- della Minerva, 13; 31; 302; 330; 348.
---- Nuova, 300; 349.
---- di San Rufino, 289.
PICA, Madonna, 41; 102; 119; 307.
PICCININO, Niccolo, besieges Assisi, 25, 26; 27; 30; 126.
---- Jacopo, 329.
PIETRO _Cataneo_, Brother, 48; 138; 342.
PINTELLI, Baccio, 220.
PINTURICCHIO, 337.
PIUS II, Pope, 329.
---- V, Pope, 335.
PORTIUNCULA, The, early connection with St. Francis, 47, 102;
repaired by St. Benedict, 99; given to St. Francis, 103; cradle of
franciscan order, 104; St. Clare comes to, 104, 273; St. Francis
dies at, 114, 115, 337; 338; indulgence of, 344; chapter of the
lattices at, 345; 353; 355; 359.
PUZZARELLI, Simone, 123.
PONTANO, Teobaldo, 191.
PROPERTIUS, born at Assisi, 6; describes Assisi, 7, 8.
R
RENAN, E., quoted, 149.
RENI, Guido, 339.
RIVO-TORTO, 93; leper hospitals at, 95; description of, 96 vision
of friars at, 238, 299.
ROBBIA, Andrea della, his work in the Angeli, 336-338.
ROCCA D'ASSISI, _see_ Castle.
RUFINO D'ARCE, San, 94; St. Francis ministers to lepers at, 95.
RUFINO, Brother, 68; _note [102]_ 260.
---- St., legend of, 291, 292, 293, 297; 299.
RUMOHR, von, B., 251.
RUSKIN, John, quoted, 155, 170, 232; 236.
S
SABATIER, Paul, quoted, _note [26]_ 44, 63, 238, 258, 266, 271,
274; _note [67]_ 138.
SANSONE, Francesco, 219; 256.
SCIFI, Chiara, _see_ St. Clare.
---- Count Favorino, 258; 259; 261; 263; 264.
SCOTT, Leader, _note [62]_ 125.
SEVERINO, _see_ Domenico.
SFORZA, Alessandro, 27; 28.
---- Francesco, Duke of Milan, 25; 26; 328.
SIXTUS IV, Pope, 219; statue of, 221; 257.
SPAGNA, Lo, 207; 338; 341.
SPOLETO, 44; 45.
STANISLAUS, St., 207.
SUBASIO, Mount, 84; 258; ways to 363.
SYLVESTER, Brother, 239.
T
TAINE, H., quoted, 1, 198.
TESCIO River, 85; _note [52]_ 86; 124; 214.
THODE, Henry, _note [62]_ 125; 158; 164; 165; _note [73]_ 171;
206.
THREE COMPANIONS, legend of, 96; 229; 242.
TIBERIO D'ASSISI, frescoes at Assisi, 279, 306, 341.
TOTILA, 9; 325.
TREVELYAN, R. C., 7; 8.
U
UGOLINO, Bishop of Ostia, _see_ Gregory IX.
V
VASARI, Giorgio, quoted, 124, 153, 164, 170, 195, 244; 155, 156, 306.
VERNIA, LA, 71; _note [45]_ 75; St. Francis receives the Stigmata
at, 72; 210; 211; 243; 250.
VESPIGNANO, Giotto, born at, 168; 169.
VITRY, Jacques de, 15; quoted, 17, 240.
TURNBULL AND SPEARS, PRINTERS. EDINBURGH