The city of Assisi is crossed by a sense, almost tangible, of universality and openness to the outside world. The history of Assisi is an ancient history: the Asisium in ancient and powerful Rome, was the city of rich merchants, luxury villas and spas.
Visiting Assisi means immersing yourself simultaneously in the history of the Roman and medieval ages but also entering the heart of spirituality and places where two young people changed the history of Christianity and that of art.
The ancient and monumental churches guide the faithful and pilgrims along their journeys, and the rose windows, the most evocative elements of the facades, enchant visitors thanks to simple plays of light.
The Basilica of San Francesco, a real architectural wonder of Italian history, represents the physical heritage of the Saint.
It was built in 1228, in his honor just two years after his death and canonization, on the initiative of Pope Gregory IX and friar Elia of Bombarone.
The basilica stands on the Colle dell’Inferno, the ancient name of the place, since in the medieval period it was the scene of executions. Since San Francesco was canonized, this place changed its name to Colle del Paradiso.
In fact, all around reigns peace and the joy that is perceived has an almost supernatural dimension. The large rose window of the basilica welcomes visitors not only inside the church, with its very high vaults and the famous cycle of Giotto on the life of San Francesco, but it is also the entrance to the crypt and the tomb of the Saint.
The rose window, with its 7.5 meters in diameter and 15 meters high, is the largest in central Italy. From the wheel of the large rose in fact a warm beam of light penetrates inside the basilica illuminating the nave. In addition, the rose window is surrounded by the image of the four cosmic elements and also functioned as a sundial.[1]
A second sublime rose window is that present in the facade of the Basilica of Santa Chiara, symbol of the power and immensity of God. Compared to San Francesco, the rose window of Santa Chiara has a greater radial symmetry, formed by two perfect circles that widen towards the outer edge. “Oh woman, fear not, for happily you will give birth to a clear light that will enlighten the world”. The mother of the Saint, who went to pray in the cathedral of San Rufino, on the eve of childbirth, heard these words. The child was called Chiara and baptized in that same church.
The large rose window, almost to protect the entire basilica, seems to recall the name of the Saint, creating games of depth and colorful beams of light. The exterior of the facade is characterized by three large polygonal buttresses in the shape of large climbing arches, which reinforce the left side, the facade instead, is made of rows of local white and pink stone.
The three large rose windows of the church of San Pietro dominate the square in front of which stood an ancient Roman necropolis. The church, built by the Benedictines in the tenth century, has been altered several times until the final reconstruction that dates back to the thirteenth century.
The red stone facade of Mount Subasio, has a rectangular shape, originally culminated with a tympanum that was demolished after the earthquake of 1832. In the lower register three large entrance portals welcome the faithful, which correspond, in the second band, the three rosettes. The two bands of the facade are divided by a cornice with hanging arches. The interior of the church is divided into three naves: the central one is very high and without own windows, but is entirely illuminated with beams of light that penetrate from the central rose window.
Elaborate and ancient rosettes are present in one of the churches that represents one of the greatest masterpieces of Romanesque architecture in central Italy: the church of San Rufino. In fact, it overlooks a beautiful square, nerve center and meeting place of the people and feudal society of the time.
The pilasters divide the facade into three parts, emphasizing that even in the interior space, there are three naves. The facade is then divided into three orders, marked by a false porch and frames with blind and hanging arches.
Everything in architecture refers to the number three: three are in fact the portals and lunettes above, three rose windows and three telamoni, the powerful male figures that support, on their shoulders, all the weight of the rose window. The beautiful rose window, large to represent all the people of Assisi, shows some characteristics decidedly special: composed of three turns of wheel is surrounded by a ring of foliage.
The first round, composed of round arches and small columns, is quite common, the second is absolutely extraordinary: a continuous and extremely dynamic floral pattern, with stylized calyxes and with a winding pattern of the petals. To complete the elaborate rose window is a third turn of wheel with arches of Islamic derivation.[2] On the sides are the four Evangelists with natural elements of the cosmos, emphasizing the concept of Christ light and center of the world.
[1]L. Lametti, V. Mazzasette, N. Nardelli, The rose window of the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi.Luminous function and symbolic allusions, Gangemi Editore, 2012.⇑
[2] F. Santucci, The Cathedral of San Rufino in Assisi, Editore Silvana, 1999.⇑
Giulia Venturini
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