A Day Trip to Assisi
Today started at 5:45 in the morning. Most of us couldn't sleep well; maybe it was because of the phase of the moon or maybe it was the nerves of having to get up so early. We miraculously made it to our train on time but I'm not sure how we got there. Since it was a two hour long train ride, I was planning on being able to sleep for most of it but honestly, the middle seat of a plane is more comfortable than any seat on the train. Within twenty minutes, the high speed train zoomed through tunnel after tunnel which popped our ears in the most painful way (RIP).
Once we got to Assisi, a friend of Steve took us in a taxi, with the help of his friends, into the town. I swear they filmed the scene of New Moon where Bella is trying to stop Edward from stepping into the light at Assisi (I have since fact checked and have found that I am wrong; however, the actual location of the scene is about two hours away from here).
What's so significant about Assisi? Assisi is one of the major sites for pilgrimages in Italy; some major saints of the Catholic church lived and served here as well as passed away. Their remains are here where pilgrims may venerate them. While I've been able to take pictures of most of the churches, these churches are considered incredibly sacred and they ask that no pictures or videos are taken inside. Because of the incredible art on the inside, I had a hard time not taking a picture or two, but then I thought about if I would want someone to take pictures inside my temples. That changed my mind pretty quick.
So the first guy we are going to talk about is Saint Francis. He's a big deal. Born 1182 to privileged, he had an experience where a crucifix (I think, I didn't 100 percent understand this part) spoke to him and said, "Go and repair my house which is falling into ruin." He took this as a mission call and he stripped off his fine clothes and dedicates his life to serving others. This led his family to disown him. He preached in the local dialect, which was a big deal because most people preached in Latin. But the common people couldn't understand that. He became a man of the people. He is responsible for the hymn, All Creatures of our God and King (Very cool, dude). He is also responsible for the Nativity scene that we are familiar with today at Christmas time. Prior to Saint Francis, Christ was depicted in art as separate from mankind. He introduced humanism, which is a portrayal of Christ, Mary, and the Bible in terms which could be easily understood. This allows Christ to be seen as more human. This would have a major impact on the Renaissance. Two years after his death, in 1228, he was sainted. Also, San Francisco was named for him. Represent.
To honor his life and death, a basilica was built, which I couldn't take pictures of in the inside. It was beautiful. It had paintings called frescoes from floor to ceiling (fresco is essentially painting on wet plaster). They're in pretty poor condition today, but they're still just so spectacular. It's worth going to. This style is repeated in churches in Europe, or at least France.
This basilica was made in the shape of a cross; the catholic church in ancient architecture was really into symbolism. Anyway, here's some pictures of the outside.
The next place we checked out was the Basilica of Saint Claire. What's so cool is that Saint Claire is a WOMAN (Yes, QUEEN). She was born to a count at 1193, which meant that she was pretty well off. When she heard Saint Francis preach, she was converted which her parents were against. At 18 years old, she cut off her hair, put on sack cloth clothes, and ran away. She is considered the female representative of the Franciscan order. She passed away in 1253 and she was also sainted about 2 years after her death (It's pretty rare to get sainted so quickly. Normally it happens maybe 100 years later, which makes it hard to verify the science behind the miracles performed). She is the patron saint of sore eyes and television (weird flex, but okay).
The Basilica of Saint Claire is kind of wild because the flying buttresses weren't for beauty; they were just because the building needed help diverting weight to the ground. The buttresses were added in 1351 when they realized this location is prone to earth quakes. It must have worked because it looks great today. We got the chance to go to the crypt where she is laid to rest. Apparently, they covered her body in plaster then painted it. I thought it was just a mannequin! People come to the crypt to venerate her body so miracles may happen. Honestly, what people have done for their faith is so beautiful. I loved seeing people practice their religions while on this trip. Again, this place was too sacred so I couldn't take pics of the inside so enjoy the outside.
The last place we checked out was the Cathedral of San Rufino. This was a little bit more of a normal church. It had some cool art though.
When we had the chance to break for the day, I took a massive walk (you have to walk uphill to get to anywhere in town) and checked out the citadel, which is basically a massive fortress. It was so windy but at least there wasn't any rain.
I also got some lunch with my friends. I was able to order food in Italian! Honestly, Assisi is just so beautiful; it was awesome to be able to discover the city.
The bus ride back went by much quicker since I cracked open my card games. When we finally got back to the hotel, it was a bit after 9 PM. Tomorrow we get to go to the Vatican again and I am READY.
Once we got to Assisi, a friend of Steve took us in a taxi, with the help of his friends, into the town. I swear they filmed the scene of New Moon where Bella is trying to stop Edward from stepping into the light at Assisi (I have since fact checked and have found that I am wrong; however, the actual location of the scene is about two hours away from here).
What's so significant about Assisi? Assisi is one of the major sites for pilgrimages in Italy; some major saints of the Catholic church lived and served here as well as passed away. Their remains are here where pilgrims may venerate them. While I've been able to take pictures of most of the churches, these churches are considered incredibly sacred and they ask that no pictures or videos are taken inside. Because of the incredible art on the inside, I had a hard time not taking a picture or two, but then I thought about if I would want someone to take pictures inside my temples. That changed my mind pretty quick.
So the first guy we are going to talk about is Saint Francis. He's a big deal. Born 1182 to privileged, he had an experience where a crucifix (I think, I didn't 100 percent understand this part) spoke to him and said, "Go and repair my house which is falling into ruin." He took this as a mission call and he stripped off his fine clothes and dedicates his life to serving others. This led his family to disown him. He preached in the local dialect, which was a big deal because most people preached in Latin. But the common people couldn't understand that. He became a man of the people. He is responsible for the hymn, All Creatures of our God and King (Very cool, dude). He is also responsible for the Nativity scene that we are familiar with today at Christmas time. Prior to Saint Francis, Christ was depicted in art as separate from mankind. He introduced humanism, which is a portrayal of Christ, Mary, and the Bible in terms which could be easily understood. This allows Christ to be seen as more human. This would have a major impact on the Renaissance. Two years after his death, in 1228, he was sainted. Also, San Francisco was named for him. Represent.
To honor his life and death, a basilica was built, which I couldn't take pictures of in the inside. It was beautiful. It had paintings called frescoes from floor to ceiling (fresco is essentially painting on wet plaster). They're in pretty poor condition today, but they're still just so spectacular. It's worth going to. This style is repeated in churches in Europe, or at least France.
This basilica was made in the shape of a cross; the catholic church in ancient architecture was really into symbolism. Anyway, here's some pictures of the outside.
The Basilica of Saint Claire is kind of wild because the flying buttresses weren't for beauty; they were just because the building needed help diverting weight to the ground. The buttresses were added in 1351 when they realized this location is prone to earth quakes. It must have worked because it looks great today. We got the chance to go to the crypt where she is laid to rest. Apparently, they covered her body in plaster then painted it. I thought it was just a mannequin! People come to the crypt to venerate her body so miracles may happen. Honestly, what people have done for their faith is so beautiful. I loved seeing people practice their religions while on this trip. Again, this place was too sacred so I couldn't take pics of the inside so enjoy the outside.
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