Basilica of Saint Clare
The 13th-century basilica raised over the tomb of Saint Clare and the original San Damiano Crucifix.
- Location
- Assisi, Italy
- 43.0709° N · 12.6157° E
- Type
- Basilica and Poor Clare monastery
- Italian Gothic in pink and white limestone, with three large flying buttresses on the southern flank
- Dedication
- Saint Clare of Assisi
- Time Needed
- 1 hour to half a day
- Crypt and reliquary chapel add little time
The Tomb of Clare and the Cross that Spoke to Francis
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.
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.
Clare founded the Poor Clares at San Damiano in 1212 and died there in 1253.
Construction of the basilica began in 1257 and was consecrated in 1265 by Pope Clement IV.
Clare's body was hidden in the 14th or 15th century for safekeeping and located again in 1850.
The Poor Clares of the adjoining monastery have continuously cared for the basilica since the community moved here from San Damiano.
Two things are gathered here: the woman who founded the Poor Clares, and the cross that turned Francis around.
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.
- 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.
Five things, not fifty.
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01
The crypt
Where Saint Clare is buried, beneath the high altar.
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02
The Chapel of the Crucifix
Holds the original 12th-century painted cross from San Damiano, the cross before which Francis prayed at his conversion.
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03
The reliquary chapel
Preserves Clare's hair, habit, breviary, and objects connected with the earliest Poor Clares.
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04
The tomb of Saint Agnes of Assisi
Clare's younger sister and one of the first Poor Clares is venerated in the basilica.
See all 4 · 1 more
- The tomb of Saint Agnes of Assisi Clare's younger sister and one of the first Poor Clares is venerated in the basilica.
How much time, and what to do with it.
-
30 min Pilgrims with a short window
Tomb and crucifix
Walk the nave, pray before the San Damiano Crucifix in its chapel, and descend to the crypt to pray at the tomb of Saint Clare.
- Walk the Gothic nave
- The San Damiano Crucifix
- Tomb of Saint Clare in the crypt
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1 h First-time pilgrims
The whole basilica
As above, plus the reliquary chapel with Clare's habit and breviary, the tomb of Saint Agnes of Assisi, and quiet time before the crucifix.
- Nave and the San Damiano Crucifix
- Tomb of Saint Clare
- Reliquary chapel
- Tomb of Saint Agnes of Assisi
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Half day Pilgrims following Clare
From the basilica to San Damiano
Pair the basilica that holds Clare's body and the original crucifix with the place she actually lived. Walk down through the southern gate to San Damiano, then return by way of the Cathedral of San Rufino, where Clare was baptized.
- Basilica of Saint Clare: tomb and crucifix
- Walk down to San Damiano
- San Damiano church, cloister, and garden
- Cathedral of San Rufino on the way back
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.
Entering as a pilgrim, not a tourist.
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Where to Begin
Enter from Piazza Santa Chiara and walk the length of the single Gothic nave before stopping. The basilica is small enough to read in one movement.
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The Crucifix
Turn into the Chapel of the Crucifix on the right of the nave to pray before the original San Damiano cross, the painted crucifix from which Saint Francis is traditionally venerated as having heard his call.
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Where to Pause
Descend the side staircase to the crypt and pray at the tomb of Saint Clare. Then visit the reliquary chapel, which holds objects connected with the earliest Poor Clares.
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Liturgy and Confession
Daily Mass is offered in the nave and the Poor Clares sing the Liturgy of the Hours from the choir behind the high altar. This is a living monastery, not a museum.
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Silence and Dress
Strict silence is observed in the nave, the crypt, and the Chapel of the Crucifix. Shoulders and knees covered; backpacks must be left at the entrance, and photography is not permitted inside.
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Hours
The basilica closes over the middle of the day. Confirm current hours on the official basilica site, especially around feast days and the high season.
See all 6 · 3 more
- Liturgy and Confession Daily Mass is offered in the nave and the Poor Clares sing the Liturgy of the Hours from the choir behind the high altar. This is a living monastery, not a museum.
- Silence and Dress Strict silence is observed in the nave, the crypt, and the Chapel of the Crucifix. Shoulders and knees covered; backpacks must be left at the entrance, and photography is not permitted inside.
- Hours The basilica closes over the middle of the day. Confirm current hours on the official basilica site, especially around feast days and the high season.
Catalogued with source, confidence, and veneration status.
| Object | Type | Confidence | Public veneration | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomb of Saint Clare | Saint's tomb |
Documented
Clare's remains were located again beneath the high altar in 1850 and moved to the present crypt; the recumbent figure is a wax representation laid over the relics |
Yes, at the tomb in the crypt | Basilica of Saint Clare · Poor Clare monastery |
| San Damiano Crucifix | Painted crucifix, 12th century |
Documented
The original painted cross from San Damiano, brought here by the Poor Clares in 1260; it is the cross before which Saint Francis is traditionally venerated as having prayed at his conversion |
Yes, in the Chapel of the Crucifix beside the nave | Basilica of Saint Clare |
| Relics traditionally associated with Saint Clare | Personal relics, traditional attribution |
Traditional
Clare's hair, habit, and breviary are venerated by long Poor Clare tradition rather than presented as documented beyond dispute |
Yes, in the reliquary chapel | Poor Clare monastery tradition |
| Tomb of Saint Agnes of Assisi | Saint's tomb |
Documented
Clare's younger sister and one of the first Poor Clares is venerated within the basilica |
Yes, within the basilica | Basilica of Saint Clare |
Source note Traditional attributions are presented as tradition, with documentation named where it exists.
How this place gathers the saints.
- Saint Clare of Assisi Tomb of Saint Clare The 13th-century basilica raised over her body, with the original San Damiano Crucifix in the Chapel of the Crucifix beside the nave.
- Saint Francis of Assisi Connected through the San Damiano Crucifix 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.
Within walking distance.
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City hub
Assisi
Use the city guide to place this church within the wider Catholic geography of Assisi.
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Sacred place
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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Sacred place
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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Sacred place
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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Sacred place
Eremo delle Carceri
Clare stayed within walls; Francis climbed to the woods. The hermitage on Mount Subasio above the town is the outward axis to her enclosure.
Plan around this place.
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.
Image credits
Pending review.