Via San Damiano, Assisi, Italy
Church of San Damiano
The small stone church outside Assisi where a crucifix spoke to Francis and told him to rebuild, and where Clare later founded her order of Poor Ladies.
In 1205, a young man named Francis knelt in this crumbling chapel and heard Christ speak from the painted crucifix above the altar: "Francis, go and repair my house, which you see is falling into ruin." He took it literally at first, hauling stones to patch the walls. The church he actually rebuilt turned out to be much larger than this one. But San Damiano is where it started. The building sits below the walls of Assisi, down a gravel path lined with olive trees, and it still feels like a place apart. Clare of Assisi lived here for over forty years after Francis gave her the church in 1211, and the community she founded — the Poor Clares — grew up within these rough stone walls. Her dormitory, refectory, and the small garden courtyard survive largely as they were. The crucifix that spoke to Francis is no longer here; it was moved to the Basilica of Santa Chiara in the thirteenth century. What remains is the architecture of poverty itself — low ceilings, narrow windows, uneven floors worn smooth by centuries of bare feet.
Diocese: Diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino
Style: Romanesque
What to See
The chapel where Francis heard the crucifix is tiny — maybe thirty people could fit inside, standing. A copy of the San Damiano crucifix hangs where the original did, and it is still the focus of the room. Upstairs, the dormitory where Clare slept for decades is a long, low room with a wooden ceiling and a view across the Spoleto Valley. The refectory has its original tables and a fresco of the Crucifixion on the wall. The choir loft where Clare and her sisters prayed the Office is behind a grate, as it would have been in their time. The small garden courtyard is planted with the kinds of herbs and flowers that a medieval community would have grown. The whole complex takes about thirty minutes to walk through, and there is rarely a crowd.
Pilgrim Notes
San Damiano is about a fifteen-minute walk downhill from the Porta Nuova gate on the southeast side of Assisi. The path is partly unpaved and slopes steeply in places, so wear sturdy shoes. The walk back uphill is the harder direction — allow extra time. The church is open daily with a midday closure and admission is free. Franciscan friars live on the grounds and maintain silence in most areas. No photography is allowed inside. Combine this with a visit to the Basilica of Santa Chiara in town, where the original San Damiano crucifix is displayed.