Churches, Basilicas & Cathedrals Assisi Pilgrimage Hub Saint Clare of Assisi

Basilica of Saint Clare

The 13th-century basilica raised over the tomb of Saint Clare and the original San Damiano Crucifix.

Best For
  • Pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Clare
  • Veneration before the original San Damiano Crucifix
  • Poor Clare and Franciscan spirituality
  • Quiet prayer in a working monastery basilica
Why This Place Matters

The Tomb of Clare and the Cross that Spoke to Francis

Do not miss
  1. The crypt — Where Saint Clare is buried, beneath the high altar.
  2. The Chapel of the Crucifix — Holds the original 12th-century painted cross from San Damiano, the cross before which Francis prayed at his conversion.
  3. The reliquary chapel — Preserves Clare's hair, habit, breviary, and objects connected with the earliest Poor Clares.
  4. The tomb of Saint Agnes of Assisi — Clare's younger sister and one of the first Poor Clares is venerated in the basilica.

Come here to pray at the tomb of Saint Clare and to stand before the painted crucifix from San Damiano. The basilica gathers in one place the founder of the Poor Clares and the cross that opened the conversion of Saint Francis.

Story and Architecture

From San Damiano to the Hill of Assisi

Clare entered religious life under the direction of Francis in 1212 and lived the rest of her life in enclosure at San Damiano, where she gathered the first community of Poor Clares. She died there in 1253 and was canonized by Pope Alexander IV in 1255. Construction of this basilica began two years later on the southern hill of Assisi, both to house her body and to receive the Poor Clare community, which moved here from San Damiano in 1260.

The basilica is built in the same Italian Gothic idiom as the upper Basilica of Saint Francis on the opposite side of the old town, in pink and white limestone quarried from Mount Subasio. The three large flying buttresses along the southern flank are the most recognizable detail of the exterior. The interior is a single Gothic nave with chapels on either side, including the Chapel of the Crucifix where the San Damiano cross is preserved.

The basilica is a working Poor Clare church, not a museum. The community sings the Liturgy of the Hours from the choir behind the high altar, and pilgrims are asked to keep silence throughout. Approach it that way: pray at the tomb, sit before the crucifix, then look.

When You Are There

What to Notice

These are the details that turn a visit into an encounter.

  • The continuous flying buttresses on the south flank, designed to brace a single-nave Gothic basilica without aisles.
  • How the Chapel of the Crucifix sits off the main axis, drawing pilgrims aside rather than past the cross.
  • The visible work of the Poor Clares behind the choir grille, which marks this as a living monastery rather than a museum church.
  • How close this basilica stands to the parish church of San Rufino, the cathedral of Clare's baptism, a short walk along the spine of the old town.
Connected Saints

Saints Associated With This Place

Buried here

Saint Clare of Assisi

Founder of the Poor Clares and the close companion of Saint Francis. Her body rests in the crypt of the basilica.

Learn about Saint Clare of Assisi
Connected through the San Damiano Crucifix

Saint Francis of Assisi

Francis prayed before this cross at San Damiano during his conversion. The crucifix was brought into the basilica with the Poor Clare community in 1260.

Learn about Saint Francis of Assisi
Relics, Tombs, and Sacred Objects

What Makes It Spiritually Significant

The basilica preserves the most concentrated set of objects connected with the early Franciscan and Poor Clare movement outside of San Damiano itself.

Saints Buried Here

  • Saint Clare of Assisi is buried in the crypt beneath the basilica. Her body was located again in 1850 after centuries hidden beneath the high altar.
  • Saint Agnes of Assisi, the younger sister of Clare and an early Poor Clare, is venerated in the basilica.
  • Blessed Beatrice and other early companions of Clare are remembered within the basilica.

Relics

  • The basilica preserves relics traditionally associated with Clare, including her hair, her habit, and her breviary.
  • Liturgical objects, sandals, and documents connected with the earliest Poor Clare community are kept in the reliquary chapel.

Sacred Objects

  • The San Damiano Crucifix, the 12th-century painted wooden cross before which Saint Francis prayed at his conversion. It was brought into the basilica when the Poor Clares moved here from San Damiano in 1260.
  • The tunic Saint Clare is traditionally venerated as having worn in the enclosure.
  • Early frescoes in the chapels flanking the nave.
Prayer and Worship

How to Visit

Enter through the main door on Piazza Santa Chiara. Walk the nave first, then turn into the Chapel of the Crucifix on the right to spend time before the San Damiano cross. Descend to the crypt by the side staircase to pray at the tomb of Clare. Return to the nave and visit the reliquary chapel before leaving.

  • Daily Mass in the upper nave
  • Liturgy of the Hours sung by the Poor Clares from the adjoining monastery
  • Quiet prayer at the tomb in the crypt
  • Veneration at the Chapel of the Crucifix beside the nave
Plan Your Time

How Long to Give It

1 Hour

Walk the nave, pray in the Chapel of the Crucifix, descend to the crypt to pray at the tomb of Clare, and visit the reliquary chapel on the way out.

2 Hours

Add silent time before the San Damiano Crucifix and a slower reading of the chapels and frescoes flanking the nave.

Half Day

Pair the basilica with the Cathedral of San Rufino, where Clare was baptized, and with San Damiano outside the walls, where she lived and died.

Suggested Visit Rhythm

Pray at the tomb and before the San Damiano Crucifix first, then walk the nave and the reliquary chapel. The basilica is small enough to be received in one visit if it is approached prayerfully.

Plan Your Visit

Suggested Ways to Visit

Use these as simple visit sequences. Check current schedules and access before you go.

45 to 60 minutes

A First Prayer Visit

First-time pilgrims who want the tomb of Clare and the San Damiano Crucifix at the center of the visit.

A direct route from the entrance to the tomb and the Chapel of the Crucifix.

  1. Enter through the main door on Piazza Santa Chiara and walk the length of the nave.
  2. Turn into the Chapel of the Crucifix on the right side of the nave to pray before the San Damiano cross.
  3. Descend by the side staircase to the crypt and pray at the tomb of Saint Clare.
  4. Return to the nave and visit the reliquary chapel before leaving.
Half day

Clare in the Basilica and at San Damiano

Pilgrims who want to follow Clare from the basilica to the place where she actually lived.

Pair the basilica with a short walk down to San Damiano outside the walls.

  1. Begin at the Basilica of Saint Clare for the tomb and the crucifix.
  2. Walk down through the southern gate to San Damiano.
  3. Visit the small church, the cloister, and the garden where Clare composed the Canticle of Exhortation.
  4. Return to the old town for a final prayer in the basilica or at the Cathedral of San Rufino.
Nearby

Nearby Sacred Places

These nearby places are included because they deepen the Christian or Catholic meaning of the visit, not because they are general attractions.

Destination

Basilica of Saint Francis

The papal basilica at the western edge of the old town, raised over the tomb of Saint Francis.

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Destination

Cathedral of San Rufino

The parish church where Francis and Clare were both baptized, a short walk along the spine of the old town.

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Destination

San Damiano

The chapel and cloister below the walls where Clare lived and where the original crucifix in this basilica once hung.

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Practical Notes

Relevant Details

Address
Piazza Santa Chiara, 06081 Assisi, Italy
Type
Basilica and Poor Clare monastery
Visit length
45 to 60 minutes for a recollected first visit
Best time
Early morning or late afternoon, outside the midday closure
Dress code
Shoulders and knees covered; backpacks must be left at the entrance
Photography
Not permitted inside the basilica
Silence
Strict silence is observed in the nave, the crypt, and the Chapel of the Crucifix
Cost
Free admission; donations support the monastery
Accessibility
The upper basilica is generally accessible; the crypt is reached by stairs
Official Church Site

The figure visible in the crypt is a wax representation laid over the relics of Saint Clare, which were located again in 1850. The San Damiano Crucifix is the original; a faithful copy remains in the church of San Damiano outside the walls.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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