San Francesco d'Assisi, Palermo

Church of Saint Francis of Assisi
Church of Saint Francis of Assisi
Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi (in Italian)
	Façade of the Church of Saint Francis
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Province	Archdiocese of Palermo
Rite	Roman Rite
Location
Location	Palermo, Italy
Geographic coordinates	38°06′59.44″N 13°21′59.32″E / 38.1165111°N 13.3664778°ECoordinates: 38°06′59.44″N 13°21′59.32″E / 38.1165111°N 13.3664778°E
Architecture
Style	Gothic, Sicilian Baroque
Groundbreaking	13th century
Website
	Official site

Interior of the church

The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi (Italian: Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi or simply San Francesco d'Assisi) is an important church of Palermo. It is located near the main street of the city, the ancient Cassaro, in the quarter of the Kalsa, within the historic centre of Palermo. The building represents the main Conventual Franciscan church of Sicily. It has the title of Minor basilica.

History[]

The history of the church starts with the arrival of the first Franciscans in Sicily. In 1224 the chronicler reported the groundwork of the first Franciscan convent near the . However, shortly after, the local clergy with the support of the Saracens chased the friars out from the city. The friars went to Viterbo and appealed to the Pope Gregory IX.

The pontiff ordered Landone, archbishop of Messina, to promote the reconstruction of the convent. In this way the pope took advantage of the absence of , archbishop of Palermo gone to Germany with the Emperor Frederick II. Therefore, in 1235 the friars built a new convent by converting an old Byzantine fortification dating back to the military campaign of George Maniakes. In 1239, because of quarrels with the Pope, Frederick II decreed the building's destruction.

In 1255 the Vicar general of Sicily , chaplain of Pope Alexander IV, entrusted the reconstruction to the bishop of Malta, Roger. The work went on during the period of Charles of Anjou. In 1302 the main portal and the anterior façade were built, both in -Gothic style. In the 15th century several chapels were built in Gothic and Renaissance style, including the Chapel Mastrantonio, the first manifestation of the .

Over the centuries the church became rich of artworks thanks to artists like , Antonio Scaglione, , Francesco Laurana, , , , , Domenico Gagini, Antonello Gagini, , Giacomo Gagini, , , Antonello Crescenzio, Cesare da Sesto, Mariano Smiriglio, Vincenzo degli Azani, Pietro Novelli, and Giacomo Serpotta. As a result, the church represents a mix of different styles, mainly Gothic and Sicilian Baroque.

On 5 March 1823 the building was damaged by an earthquake. The church was restored in the Neoclassical style. Other damages were caused by the air raids during the Second world war. In recent decades the church was restored.

In 1924 Pope Pius XI gave the title of Minor basilica to this building. The church of Saint Francis of Assisi has an important role in the religious life of Palermo: in fact, in this church is enshrined the Simulacrum of the Immaculate Conception that every year, on the evening of December 8, pass through the streets of the historic center among thousands of believers who accompany the procession till the .^[1]