Description
The basilica has a rectangular ground plan, divided into a central nave and two lateral aisles, flanked by ten side chapels, with at the far end a transept, and a long choir in a semi-circular apse, protruding from the ground plan. The Porziuncola is situated directly under the dome. The church is 126 meters long, 65 meters large and the dome is 75 meters high.
The interior is simple and yet elegant, with only a few decorations, in stark contrast with the decorations of the side chapels. The nave and the aisles were rebuilt in neoclassical Doric style by Luigi Poletti. The apse holds the precious wooden choir, carved by Franciscan brothers starting in 1689, the papal cathedra (with bas-reliefs by E. Manfrini) and the papal altar. The Chapel of the Transito, the cell in which St. Francis died, is still preserved. It is situated under the bay of the choir, against the right columns of the dome.
The side chapels were decorated by great artists from several periods, including Antonio Circignani (all paintings in the Chapel of St Anne, 1602-1603), Francesco Appiani, (Chapels of St. Anthony and St. Peter in Chains, 1756–1760), Ventura Salimbeni (Chapel of the Removal of the Lord, 1602).
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St. Francis receives men and women into the Third Order of Penance, at Cannara; painting by Baldassare Croci (1602-1603)
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Wedding of the Virgin, painting by Antonio Circignani (Pomarancio) (1602-1603)
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St. John the Baptist baptizes Jesus in the Jordan; painting by Giorgetti di Assisi
Read more about this topic: Basilica Of Santa Maria Degli Angeli
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