Church of St. Peter (Chiesa di San Pietro), Assisi

The first documents about the Church of St. Peter in Assisi are dating back to the last years of the 10th century; however it is given that the actual aspect is the result of a large restructuring work realized around 1255 after Christ. In fact, some say that it was Innocent IV in 1254 after Christ who celebrated the consecration of the church on the same occasion when the cathedral of San Rufino and the basilica of San Francesco were consecrated.

The rectangular façade, realized in the characteristic pink rock of the Subasio Mount, is divided horizontally by a cornice work and vertically by pilaster strips, in such a way to separate the superior areas and the three inferior ones respectively occupied by rosettes and entrance doors.

The austere internal part, in rock, is divided in three bays with a presbytery slightly elevated and a crypt; from the three apses that were originally the superior part of the church, only two are still accessible. The cupola, which during a certain period was also decorated with enamels in terracotta, has a form due to a structure, nowadays visible, made of a series of concentric stairs. 

There is also a small chapel located off the main area of the church as shown in a couple of the last pictures here.

This was the first church we visited in Assisi in turned out to be a day long adventure for us. This was our most memorable day of the trip. We spent the entire day and early evening in Assisi, a most picturesque town indeed!