Treasure Museum of the basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi

History

In 1930, three years after the return of the basilica and the Sacred Convent to the friars, the first exposition of the treasure was put on display in the hall of Pope Pius XI at the western end of complex. The exhibition was designed to honor the works of the original patrimony which survived not only the ravages of time, but especially the plundering by Napoleon's troops (in 1798 nearly 390 kilograms of vestments in silver and other valuables were stolen). These works also survived the suppression of religious orders in 1866 during Italy's unification, when in any case the room in which the treasure was kept, at the bottom of the bell tower, was already in a dilapidated state.

From documents found in the archives, especially from the old sacristy inventories (the first of which was taken in 1338), we can learn something about the evolution of the collection. But other sources also testify to the Treasure's development: the first biographies of St. Francis attest, for example, that in 1230 on occasion of the translation of Francis's body to the new church dedicated to him, Pope Gregory IX sent as a gift "a gold cross studded with precious stones in which is set a relic of the wood of the true cross. And with it decorative objects, liturgical objects and other objects to be used for serving at the altar, and extremely precious and magnificent sacred vestments."

As many other gifts amassed during these early decades, their necessary care created various difficulties and also caused the followers of St. Francis (known as "il Poverello"), to have some misgivings. So in 1253, to resolve these conflicts, Pope Innocent IV intervened with this bull "Dignum Extimamus" recognizing that the friars were permitted use of these gifts but were not their owners, just as was the case for the entire sanctuary complex as directed by the Apostolic See. At the same time, he forbid the removal of any of these objects from the basilica. This was reaffirmed by Pope Clement X in 1703.

Site

It's essential that the treasure's exposition be considered within the context of the monumental complex, made up by the basilica and the Sacred Convent, that constitutes the original location for which the treasure was formed and for which some works were in fact specifically made. The rooms in which the museum is found today were part of the original construction of 1228, made at the bidding of Pope Gregory IX to the community of friars. This area would certainly have been used even if for short stays by the Pope who had put the entire complex under his immediate jurisdiction.

In 1756 this area, sitting directly over the old dormitory (now known as the Sala Romanica), underwent heavy reconstruction in the Neo-gothic style, which is why it is today known as the Gothic Hall. It is precisely in this room that from 1977 the treasure has been on view, while in the adjoining room, towards the so-called Papal Hall (the first site of the museum), is the Sala Rossa, or Red Hall, in which since 1986 the F. M. Perkins Collection has been on display.

The current arrangement of the works dates from the year 2000 when the museum was reopened after extensive repairs were made to the structural damage caused by the earthquake of September 1997.

Works

The collection contains for the most part works of the so-called minor arts, although it does contain some sculpture and paintings. Among that which has survived from the very start of the collection, we find clear testimony of the Treasure's international character in works of French origin (like the illuminated manuscripts from Paris from the middle of the 13th century; gold and silver metalwork, among which is the magnificent reliquary of the Seamless Garment as well as the reliquary of the thorn from the Crown of Thorns in classic Parigian gothic style from the second half of the 12th century; and also an elegant Madonna and Child in ivory, also in the purest French gothic of the 14th century), of Flemish origin (the tapestry of Pope Sixtus IV and a few ivory carvings), and of Germanic origin (the clock donated in 1701 by the Austrian Emperor Leopold I to Fr. Vincenzo Coronelli, and a few precious metal works from Salzburg).

Gold and silver metalwork predominates: the reliquaries come in various forms and styles, and are from various places and times. Some are distinguished by their uniqueness, for example, those of Saint Andrew (13th century) and Saint Ursula (14th century), decorated with gilded and engraved glass. Among the altar vessels are a number of chalices, from different epochs, of which the most celebrated is surely that of gold-plated silver and enamels made by Guccio di Mannaia and gift of Pope Nicholas IV, the first Franciscan pope, who reigned from 1288 to 1292.

Also on display are: two rare Sicilian silk dossals from the beginning of the 13th century, works of Venetian glass (a crystal cross with miniatures from the early 14th century), and a number of painted works among which is the processional cross, painted on both sides, by the Master of the Blue Crucifix (late 13th century), and two altar panels by Tiberio di Assisi and Lo Spagna, both working at the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries. Among the textiles deserving special mention is the Florentine altar-frontal which was based on a drawing by Antonio del Pollaiuolo and donated to the basilica by Pope Sixtus IV in (perhaps?) 1478 on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the canonization of Saint Francis.

The Frederick Mason Perkins Collection

In the second half of the 20th century, the Perkins Collection, made up of 56 paintings and a sculpture spanning the 14th to the 16th century, was donated to the museum. The collection contains, to name only a few items, a portrait of Saint Francis by Beato Angelico, a Madonna and Child by Garofalo, two panel paintings by Giovanni di Paolo and three by Pietro Lorenzetti, a Saint Sebastian by dell’Ortolano and a Saint Christopher by Sassetta.