Members of DePaul University 2016 First Year Study Abroad pilgrimage to Assisi and Rome at San Damiano

Members of DePaul University 2016 First Year Study Abroad pilgrimage to Assisi and Rome at San Damiano

San Damiano

San Damiano is at the very heart of the Franciscan movement.  It is where a shattered Francis was called to a new life and where Clare would gathered a community of women to create a powerful way of peace and nonviolence.  Toward the end of his life, Francis returned here for an extended time of reflection, out of which emerged the great hymn of praise, Canticle of the Creatures. 

Here is some background on this precious site.

Italy Guides: Assisi: https://www.italyguides.it/en/umbria/assisi/church-of-san-damiano-assisi

 “According to medieval documents, the small and beautiful church of San Damiano, south of the Assisi, already existed in 1030; it had been an ancient property of Benedictine fathers. It hosted a crucifix (today in the Basilica of Saint Clare) with Christ appearing not to be suffering, but opens his arms in a gesture of hope. It spoke to Francis telling him to restore his Church: an order which the young man interpreted quite literally. Together with the Porziuncola, Francis rebuilt also San Damiano, but the extent of this work is unknown. We only know that the original church had a single nave and a raised chancel.

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“It later became a place where Saint Clare and her Poor Clares lived; actually the holy order was originally called “the Damianites,” named after the church….After the death of Clare, the Poor Clares donated the church of San Damiano to the Cathedral in exchange for the Church of San Giorgio where Saint Clare was buried. San Damiano became home to a community of friars; ownership then passed from hand to hand until it finally, in 1900, it was definitively donated to the religious community. The church has a single nave with an apse decorated in frescos depicting San Damiano, Saint Rufinus, Jesus and the Madonna, and hosts a wood choir dating back to 14th century.  On the arch above the apse is a copy of the crucifix of San Damiano the one who spoke to Saint Francis.”

From Sacred Destinations: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/assisi-san-damiano

“The site originally hosted a small Benedictine priory, documented since 1030. In 1205, in its dilapidated old oratory, a young and restless Francesco was praying before a 12th-century painted crucifix. Suddenly, the Christ on the crucifix came to life and spoke to Francis, saying, "Rebuild my church."  Francis took the command literally at first, reconstructing the little church with his own hands. …It was here that he wrote…his celebrated Canticle of the Creatures.

“St. Clare, follower and close friend of Francis, founded her Order of the Poor Clares here at San Damiano in 1212. She lived here most of her life as its abbess and passed away in an upstairs room on August 11, 1253. Her body was transferred a few years later to the Basilica di Santa Chiara, constructed in her honor.

“Located in the beautiful Umbrian countryside just outside Assisi, San Damiano is a simple and peaceful place - a nice change from the large and crowded memorials to St. Francis in town.  San Damiano does not have the artistic importance of the renowned Basilica of San Francesco, but that is part of its charm and what keeps it so quiet and peaceful here. And it does have some notable artworks.  The church's single nave is dimly lit and covered with a pointed barrel vault. It bears 14th-century frescoes depicting St. Agnes; St. Francis Praying before the Crucifix (damaged); St. Francis Throwing Away His Money in Front of the Priest; and the Father of St. Francis Threatening Him with a Stick. The painted crucifix is a copy of the miraculous icon that spoke to St. Francis; the original now hangs in the Basilica of St. Clare.

“The choir, even lower and darker than the nave, has wooden stalls from the early 16th century. Its apse is decorated with a 13th-century fresco of the Madonna and Child between Sts. Rufinus and Damianus. Much retouched over the years, the fresco shows similarities with the Maesta del Cimabue in the lower church of the Basilica of St. Francis.  Upstairs, the Chapel of San Girolamo contains some brightly colored frescoes by Tiberio of Assisi (a pupil of Perugino) dating from 1517-22. The apse depicts the Madonna and Child between St. Francis and St. Clare, surrounded by the Four Evangelists with their symbols. The side wall shows St. Clare with her nuns. The attractive 15th-century cloister has frescoes of San Francesco Receiving the Stigmata and The Annunciation, signed by Eusebio da San Giorgio in 1507.

“The old dormitory is a large empty room with a view over the cloisters; the spot in which Clare died is lovingly marked. The little Choir of the Poor Clares contains wooden choir stalls from the time of St. Clare (13th century) and a Crucifixion fresco by Pier Antonio Mezzastris (1482). The refectory retains its old tables and benches, as well as frescoes by Dono Doni.”

Other Links

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Pace e Bene 2019 Pilgrimage mass at San Damiano

Pace e Bene 2019 Pilgrimage mass at San Damiano