My Pilgrimage to Assisi, Part III

Santa Maria degli Angeli (St. Mary of the Angels) is the first church we visited in Assisi and it is only a walking distance from the railway station. Since we had few hours at the end of the journey before our departure train we also ended our pilgrimage to Assisi by visiting this beautiful Basilica which is venerated as the place of St. Francis’ death. Keeping the tradition of praying for all those who ask me to pray and all those whom I relate in different ways, I spent some time in praying at this Basilica. I tried to examine my own commitment and faithfulness in following Christ in light of the example St. Francis so elegantly portrayed.

The Baroque style Basilica was built between 1569 and 1679 to accommodate pilgrims who came from different parts of the world. It contains the chapels of the Porziuncola, Capella del Transito and the Rose Garden, as well as other places sacred to the memory of St. Francis.

The original design of Galeazzo Alessi (1512-72) portrayed the Franciscan ideal of poverty and simplicity. The 1832 earthquakes caused serious damage to the Basilica which warranted a complex restoration.   

The present building was completed on September 1840. Later the facade was restructured by placing a gilded bronze statue of the Virgin Mary on top of the Church.

Inside the Basilica is the Capella del Transito, the humble cell where St. Francis died on October 3, 1226. This was the stone chamber of the infirmary for the sick of the community in the original convent.  Francis asked his friars to bring him to this place when he felt that he was near death. St. Francis laid there waiting for ‘Sister Death’ to come and dictated the last verses in his Cantle of the Sun giving us an idea on how he faced his death. Meditating on these words give comfort to those who are sick and near death and also give courage to those who fear death.

Be praised, my Lord, through those who forgive for love of you;
through those who endure sickness and trial.
Happy those who endure in peace,
for by you, Most High, they will be crowned.
Be praised, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whose embrace no living person can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Happy those she finds doing your most holy will.
The second death can do no harm to them.
Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks,
and serve him with great humility.

The original chapel was situated in an area known as “Porziuncula”. This was left unused for some time but Francis restored it and began to use this area for prayer.  This chapel was given to him by the Benedictine monks and he made it the center of his activity. It was here that he came to understand his vocation clearly and here he also founded the Order of the Friars Minor in 1209, entrusting it to the protection of the Virgin Mother of Christ, to whom the little church is dedicated. St. Clare who was instrumental in establishing the Order of the Poor Ladies (the Poor Clares) , received her religious habit from St. Francis at this sacred place. St. Francis also had a vision while praying at this place where Jesus appeared to him and granted the “Pardon of Assisi” in 1216 which was approved by Pope Honorius III. Here he gathered all his friars for the general assembly to discuss the Franciscan Rule and also to renew their commitment to announce the gospel to the world. This place is still considered to be the main center of Fransicanism.

The original Franciscan austerity and simplicity are visible inside the Porzincula. The roughly hewn stones remind the pilgrim of the inexpert hand of Francis, the young restorer. But we have to remember that this small place echoes the incessant prayer reaching out to heaven from the time of St. Francis and is so sacred of a space for a believer. Millions of people from all over the world had come here to receive the blessing and got inspired from Francis’ life. The inscription inside this Church reminds the pilgrim of the necessity of praying with faith and of following the path of Christ like St. Francis -  hic locus sanctus est - this is a holy place, (because God descended here to meet Francis and whoever enters here in faith).

One night in 1216, when Francis was immersed in prayer, a radiant light spread through the little church and he saw above the altar Christ and mother Mary surrounded by the Angels.
They asked him what he wanted for the salvation of souls and he immediately responded: “I ask that all those persons who have repented and confessed their sins who will come to this church, may obtain a full and generous pardon, and a complete remission of all their faults”. This wish had been granted to him and a pilgrim who prays here, meeting this requirement receives the blessing.

The statue of St. Francis holding the Gospel and the Cross is situated at the center of the chapel. The gospel is the symbol of the fundamental laws of the Franciscan way of life and the cross expresses his desire to attain perfect likeness with Christ, most importantly of his suffering.

It is true that people can create stories and legends when saints like St. Francis are hard to find in the present age. But I believe all these stories related to Francis are true from the way he lived and the great influence he still has in the world. We are so accustomed to the modern way of living and giving up the comforts of life doesn’t make any sense. We want to hold on to our possessions, comforts, addictions and even sins and then believe that it is possible to achieve what these saints achieved which is absolutely an erroneous attitude  if we really want to have a God experience. God doesn’t work in vacuums but through simple, sinful people like us who are willing to bend their lives ready to do anything for the Kingdom of God. What is impossible for humans is possible for God and we can do everything through our God who strengthens and guides us.