Advertise in this spot on CatholicCulture.org. View all ads.

Catholic World News News Feature

Assisi Church Reopens Ten Months After Quake August 02, 1999

ASSISI, Italy (CWNews.com) - One of the four major churches of Assisi, the home of Ss. Francis and Clare, reopened on Saturday, ten months after earthquakes damaged all of the churches, causing them to be closed for repair.

The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels -- which houses a chapel dating back to the 4th century that was the first home of the Franciscans, was the site of St. Clare's consecration to the religious life, and was the location of St. Francis' death in 1226 -- was reopened after the gold statue of the Madonna was placed back atop the church.

The basilicas of St. Francis, St. Clare, and St. Mary of the Angels and the Cathedral of St. Rufino were all damaged during two earthquakes that hit central Italy on September 26, 1997, killing ten people. Two people were killed in St. Francis' basilica when the ceiling in the main church collapsed. The upper level of that church remains closed -- with work expected to be complete in 2000-- although the lower church and the crypt have since reopened.