Next to the Porziuncola there is a small chapel…
In the year of the eighth centenary of the Transit of Saint Francis, one of the places to visit is undoubtedly the Chapel of the Transit, behind the Porziuncola, where the Poverello of Assisi spent the last moments of his earthly life. In this space steeped in memory and faith, history, art, and Franciscan mysticism intertwine, offering visitors an experience that is at once knowledge, contemplation, and spiritual encounter.
The Chapel: From the Friars’ Infirmary to the Heart of Franciscan Memory
The Chapel of the Transit is located inside the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, beyond the Porziuncola, on the right side of the apse. What today appears to be a chapel rich in artistic elements was, in the 13th century, a simple infirmary of the humble huts that constituted the first nucleus of the fraternity gathered around Francis.
It was here that, on October 3, 1226, Francis asked to be laid on the bare earth, in a final gesture of radical humility and commitment to the Gospel. That gesture—poor, essential, and unarmed—continues to challenge those who enter this place, inviting them to understand the evangelical logic by which Francis lived until his last breath.
Traces of evangelizing art
The chapel preserves precious elements that tell the story of the Minorite fraternity: on the altar, a reliquary holds the cincture of Saint Francis, a symbol of that simple and radical way of life; on the walls, around 1520, the painter Giovanni di Pietro, known as Lo Spagna, depicted the figures of the Franciscan Saints and Blesseds with extraordinary realism, transforming the chapel into a visual narrative of the birth of the Order.
At the center of the Chapel, the polychrome glazed terracotta statue of Saint Francis, created by Andrea della Robbia (ca. 1475), portrays him with the Gospel and the Cross in his hand, like a preacher who continues to point the way.
The decorations of the Chapel’s exterior walls are by the Perugian painter Domenico Bruschi, who portrays the Death of Saint Francis and the Recognition of the Stigmata, evocative images with a strong emotional impact.
The Saint’s Last Moments
Here, Francis asked a friar to write to Friar Jacopa de’ Settesoli, a friend and Roman noblewoman who was very close to him, inviting her to reach him with what would be needed for his passing: the “ashen” cloth to wrap his body, candles, a shroud for his face, a pillow, and even some mostaccioli. This episode reminds us that, even in his final moments, Francis remained a man of relationships, capable of sowing affection, trust, and mutual care.
A place that speaks to the present
The Chapel of the Transitus is a theological site, a living reminder of a spirituality that continues to inspire men and women of all times. Here, Francis concluded his earthly journey and opened to the Church a path that is still relevant: living as brothers and sisters, in the simplicity of the Gospel, with our gaze turned to Heaven but our feet firmly planted on the earth.
On the centenary of his Transitus, this small chapel invites us to rediscover Francis not as a figure of the past, but as a teacher of the present, capable of still guiding those who seek the face of the Gospel within history.
