Santuario della Spogliazione

A sanctuary of Francis's renunciation and the tomb of Saint Carlo Acutis, in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore beside the old episcopal complex of Assisi.

ITALY · ASSISI 43.0712° N · 12.6184° E
Location
Assisi, Italy 43.0712° N · 12.6184° E
Type
Sanctuary church and tomb of Saint Carlo Acutis An ancient Assisi church beside the former episcopal residence, received today as a sanctuary of Franciscan renunciation and Saint Carlo Acutis
Dedication
Santa Maria Maggiore, now the Santuario della Spogliazione
Time Needed
30 minutes to 1 hour
Why Go

The Poverty That Opened a Life

Come here to stand where Assisi remembers Francis giving everything back, and to pray at the tomb of Saint Carlo Acutis. The two witnesses belong to different centuries and are not the same story. Francis's renunciation names a freedom from possession for the sake of Christ. Carlo's tomb gives that freedom a modern face: a young layman whose Eucharistic devotion led him to choose Assisi as his resting place.

The Episcopal Threshold

Santa Maria Maggiore stands beside the former episcopal complex of Assisi. Early Franciscan sources preserve the conflict between Francis and his father during the years of his conversion. Assisi's devotional tradition receives the bishop's setting as the place of the renunciation, when Francis gave back what his father claimed and placed himself under God's fatherhood. Archaeological work has brought attention to the old doorway beside the episcopal residence, but the sanctuary does not turn a received memory into a certainty it cannot bear. In 2019 the church became the place of Saint Carlo Acutis's tomb, adding a new pilgrim devotion to a place already marked by Franciscan poverty.

This is not a grand basilica competing with the major churches of Assisi. Its weight comes from location: an old church, an episcopal threshold, and a sanctuary whose present life gathers prayer around a remembered act of conversion and a saint's tomb.

The sanctuary stands in Santa Maria Maggiore beside the former episcopal complex of Assisi.

The local Franciscan memory places Francis's renunciation before Bishop Guido in this episcopal setting; the sanctuary carefully receives that memory rather than claiming a preserved courtroom scene.

Saint Carlo Acutis's body was brought to Assisi in 2019 and is venerated here.

Spiritual Significance

The sanctuary asks for a double attention. First read Francis's renunciation as a turning from inherited status toward Christ. Then approach Carlo's tomb without making the modern devotion a decorative addition to Francis. Both witnesses call the pilgrim to a more concrete love of God.

Do Not Miss · 2 stops

What to notice.

  1. The tomb of Saint Carlo Acutis

    Approach it as a place of prayer, not a queue to complete.

  2. The episcopal setting

    Notice how close the church stands to the old bishop's residence; this geography is the heart of the Franciscan memory.

What to notice
  • The distinction between the historical conflict in Francis's conversion and the devotional tradition that locates the renunciation here.
  • How a young saint's tomb has made an ancient Assisi church a living place of intercession.
  • The small scale of the sanctuary beside the larger Franciscan basilicas.
Visit Plans · 2 plans · add to a journey

How much time, and what to do with it.

  • Duration 40 min Best for Pilgrims praying at Carlo's tomb

    Renunciation and intercession

    Begin with the episcopal setting and the tradition of Francis's renunciation, then make one unhurried prayer at Carlo's tomb.

  • Duration Half day Best for Old-town Franciscan memory

    San Rufino, the Spogliazione, and Chiesa Nuova

    3 ordered stops

    Keep the three small places distinct: baptismal Assisi at San Rufino, the renunciation tradition here, and the household tradition at Chiesa Nuova.

    1. Cathedral of San Rufino
    2. Santuario della Spogliazione
    3. Chiesa Nuova

Make this a quiet old-town visit, not a rapid stop between major basilicas. It is especially fitting after San Rufino, where the sacramental life of the city gives Francis's renunciation its proper setting.

How to Visit

Entering as a pilgrim, not a tourist.

Enter quietly and orient yourself to Santa Maria Maggiore and the old episcopal setting. Read the renunciation tradition before approaching Carlo's tomb, so the sanctuary does not become only a stop for one devotion. Pray at the tomb, then continue uphill to San Rufino or across the center to Chiesa Nuova, keeping the next visit small enough to remain prayerful.

  • Mass and prayer in a living diocesan sanctuary
  • Pilgrim veneration at the tomb of Saint Carlo Acutis
  • Franciscan reflection on poverty, conversion, and baptismal freedom
Relics, Tombs, Sacred Objects

What pilgrims come to venerate here.

Tomb of Saint Carlo Acutis

Saint's tomb
Diocese of Assisi and the official sanctuary
Documented

Saint Carlo Acutis is venerated in the sanctuary church, where his body was brought to Assisi in 2019.

The episcopal threshold associated with Francis's renunciation

Place of devotional tradition
Diocese of Assisi
Traditional

The sanctuary and the old episcopal setting receive Assisi's tradition of Francis's renunciation; archaeological attention to the doorway does not establish a preserved courtroom scene.

Source note Traditional attributions are presented as tradition, with documentation named where it exists.

Connected Saints

How this place gathers the saints.

Saint Francis of Assisi Assisi's renunciation tradition The sanctuary stands in the episcopal setting where Assisi receives the memory of Francis giving back his inheritance for the sake of Christ.
Continue Your Pilgrimage · Continue the day

Within walking distance.

Sacred Geography

How the sanctuary holds conversion and intercession

Place and memory

Santa Maria Maggiore is held by its episcopal setting, the renunciation tradition of Francis, and the tomb of Saint Carlo Acutis. These are related, but they are not interchangeable memories.

The sanctuary and the Diocese of Assisi distinguish the long-held Franciscan renunciation tradition from archaeological certainty. Carlo Acutis's tomb is a documented, living place of veneration in the church.

Map · Assisi, Italy

Plan around this place.

Editorial sources

The official sanctuary and the Diocese of Assisi distinguish the received memory of Francis's renunciation from archaeological and documentary certainty. Confirm current liturgical and tomb-access arrangements directly with the sanctuary.

Official

assisisantuariospogliazione.it

Image credits
All photography credits
Last reviewed

July 18, 2026