Courtyard and Chapel, Basilica of St. Francis, Assisi

The Sacro Convento is a Franciscan friary in Assisi, Umbria, Italy. The friary is connected as part of three buildings to the upper and lower church of the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assis, where the friars custody with great reverence the body of Saint Francis. St. Francis wanted to be buried at this location outside of Assisi's city walls, called Hill of Hell (here were the gallows where criminals were put to death), because his master Jesus of Nazareth also was killed like a criminal outside of the city of Jerusalem.

Historians generally agree that the complex with church and monastery was completed with 11 years, by 1239. The original part of the Sacro Convento (built under the leadership of Brother Elias) consisted of a dining room, dormitory, chapter hall, papal hall and a scriptorim-library (scriptorium is a place for writing). In the 15th century, during the reign of Pope Sixtus IV, the Sacro Convento was extensively enlarged and used as a summer residence of the popes.

The following images are of the courtyard of the friary and a small chapel off the lower portion of the courtyard. Father Mike and Father Dave held a mass for us in this chapel on Monday morning, September 29, 2014.