Catholic World News News Feature

Assisi Earthquake Damages St. Francis Basilica September 26, 1997

ASSISI, Italy (CWN) - Two earthquakes in northern Italy today killed at least nine people, including two friars at St. Francis' Basilica in Assisi and caused heavy damage according to early reports.

The 13th-century basilica, built to honor the founder of the Franciscan order, has become an international symbol of peace and interreligious dialogue after Pope John Paul held multifaith prayer services there in 1986 and 1993. The town is also one of the most popular tourist sites in the country and repository of a significant fresco by the early Renaissance master Giotto. The first earthquake damaged the building's roof, and the later quake caused the frescoes above the main entrance to fall, killing two friars who were inspecting the damage.

Pope Gregory IX laid the foundation stone for the lower section of the basilica on July 17, 1228, two days after the canonization of Francis. Very quickly, workers finished the structure in two years, and Francis' remains were transferred to a crypt there. The upper part was finished in 1253. The Giotto frescoes, illustrating the life of St. Francis, were damaged by another earthquake in 1982 after being restored in the 1960s.