The Absent-Minded Professor's Travels: Italy 2014 Day 03

24 October 2014

Italy 2014 Day 03 – Wednesday 22 October

The Cross from San Damiano,
currently in the Church of Saint Clare

Our wake-up call came at 06:30 to be ready for breakfast at 07:30 and departure from the lobby at 08:30. Breakfast was meats, cheese, and bread, in addition to more American staples like scrambled eggs, bacon, and cereal. Plus a coffee machine, juices, and fruits. From the lobby we walked uphill (everything seems to be uphill in Assisi!) to the Basilica of St. Francis, the mother church of the Franciscan order. (Virtual tours: LINK)

The Basilica of
San Francesco

Built into the side of a hill, the Basilica contains two churches – the Upper Church and the Lower Church – in addition to the real tomb of St. Francis in a crypt below. Because of the danger the saint’s relics would be absconded with by a rival town (such as Assisi’s traditional enemy, Perugia), although the Lower Church was specifically built to house a magnificent shrine for St. Francis the actual relics were hidden below, and ultimately forgotten only to be rediscovered in the 19^th century! [Thu 10/23 08:30 … I found I could not type on a moving bus…] The three are literally stacked one atop the other!

We heard Mass in the Franciscan brothers’ chapel, also known as the "Peace Chapel," said this time by Fr. Ryan assisted by Fr. Chris – our first time ever hearing the Mass celebrating the new Feast of St. John Paul II the Great.

The Franciscan Brothers' Chapel

Some of the famous frescos in
St. Francis' Basilica --
just before I got rebuked

Our guide Marco was late from Perugia because of the chocolate festival going on there just now – Anne asked me how far Perugia was from Assisi, I said, “Close enough to hurt!” (Perugia is the Hershey, Pennsylvania, of Italy) – but eventually he got there. In the meantime, we went down to the crypt and saw the real tomb of St. Francis, and I got a few pictures there and in the Lower Church before I was rebuked and found out photos were forbidden! Respecting their rules, I took no more … but I didn’t delete the ones I already had! Anyway, once Marco got there, he led us on a tour of the Lower Church, then the Upper Church, then out to the plaza in front of the Basilica, then up through the lower town into the upper town.

An old Roman temple, repurposed as a Church

We continued past an old Roman temple to Minerva to the plaza in front of the Basilica of St. Clara (Santa Chiara), where Marco left us about 12:45. Marco was good – enthusiastic, informative, if a bit over-the-top in his enthusiasm for Pope Francis. He did a really good job of explaining the various frescoes in St. Francis, by Cimabue, Giotto, and so forth. The group split up, scattering to the four winds.

The Basilica of St. Clare

Anne and I wandered back the way we came looking for a good lunch – and an ATM to get some cash. We found both, then hit various shops (including me finding a new T-shirt – XL here is smaller than XL at home, as I found with the shirt I purchased yesterday! In fact, I ended up getting two T-shirts, one just for Assisi, a second for St. Francis, with his Canticle of the Creatures on it in Italian). We also got gelato – twice – on our way around and about back up to Sta. Chiara (which had been closed from 12:00-14:00 – it is a functioning convent of Poor Clares, which we had impressed on us, see below.) [Virtual tour: LINK] We went into the church where we saw the actual cross that originally “spoke” to St. Francis in 1205, imploring him to “Rebuild my Church!,” and also went down into the crypt to view the incorrupt body of St. Clare. While we were doing so, a nun came and signaled to Anne that she was closing the curtain … and within a few moments we heard beautiful chanting from around the body. The nuns were singing the afternoon prayers! That only lasted five to seven minutes, then the curtain opened again for pilgrims to view the body. That was awesome!

San Damiano

We continued wandering through the town, generally back toward our hotel, occasionally encountering others of our group, arriving back about 16:15. Anne and I then sat out on the balcony outside the lobby with some others who had come back, drinking coffee and water respectively. At 16:45, taxis arrived to take those of our group who wanted to go to San Damiano’s, where that cross I mentioned above was originally in a ruined old church that St. Francis and his first followers then rebuilt with their own hands (the cross was eventually moved to the Basilica of St. Clare because it was outside the walls of Assisi and subject to enemy attacks) [Virtual tour: LINK] We had to go up there in taxis because they do not allow tour busses or indeed tour groups, so we had to go through as individuals, unguided. In some ways, that was better than some other experiences we had!)

A statue of St. Francis looking off the bluff by
San Damiano

We were at San Damiano’s for about an hour, then back to the hotel about 18:00. We rested for a few minutes – and called Tristan for a very few minutes – then went down to supper for 19:00. It was another three course meal, but I can’t remember now (Friday night) any specifics – so much is blurring together before I can find time to record it! I do remember that at 20:30 we all gathered in the hotel lounge for about an hour of prayer and “sharing,” a Magnificat tradition. By the end of which I was barely staying awake. Anne and a group (including the priests) went out for another gelato – I went back up to the room, showered, and headed for bed by a little after 22:00. There was no way I could get any blogging done that night! I barely managed to deal with some NSU course work emails and such! This “live-blogging” thing is not really working out like I planned. We are so rushed, all day, then in the evening I am so tired I can barely focus on the screen …. But it is a wonderful experience overall. I will just get to it as I get to it. [22:05]