Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels
1 Piazza Porziuncola Santa Maria degli Angeli
Third Church St. Francis Rebuilt, Home of the Early Franciscan Friars, Site of St. Francis' Death
Around 1205, St. Francis established his home here, restoring it and founding the Franciscan Order (1209). This was the third church restored by the saint after San Damiano and San Pietro della Spina. The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels was built between 1569 and 1679. Its structure incorporates the structures of the Franciscan Convent built near the Porziuncola. A few meters from the Porziuncola, there is the Cappela del Transito, or the infirmary cell where St. Francis died on October 3, 1226.
The rose garden located to the right of the apse of the basilica is famous for an event that involved St. Francis: one night, in fact, the saint, overcome by strong doubts and remorse for sin, rolled naked in the thorny rosebush. According to tradition, this rose bush lost all its thorns upon contact with the body of the saint, so as not to cause him any harm. Even today, the rose bush blooms without thorns.
