05/07/2026
🌷2026 Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi 💐
🌼 A Franciscan Vignette #9: The Porziuncola🪻
From the hilltop city of Assisi, Italy, St. Francis could look down into the valley at the Porziuncola (“Little Portion”), a tiny, ancient chapel, much beloved to him. He cherished it as a place of prayer, humility and divine forgiveness.
In 1209-1210, Francis restored this abandoned church himself, making it his home and the sacred cradle of the Franciscan Order.
Known as Santa Maria degli Angeli (“St. Mary of the Angels”), the structure was thought to date back to the 4th century; modern scholarship puts its construction closer to the 9th - 11th centuries. It was received by Francis from the Benedictine monks of Monte Subasio. The Porziuncola became the home for his friars, and later, the site where St. Clare would begin her Order of Poor Clares.
With the passing of the years, the number of pilgrims traveling to Assisi increased. Pope St. Pius V ordered the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli to be built over the Porziuncola. Construction began in 1569 and lasted until 1679, protecting the blessed chapel within. It is a unique environment from which to visit this very special Franciscan site. ✝️
- Submitted by Maryanne Hanisch, OFS
