The Portiuncula

A small chapel was erected in the valley at the foot of Mount Assisi, between the years 352 and 366, under Pope Liberius. It was known as Our Lady of  Josaphat (the name of valley) or our Lady of the Angels. It is said that the voices of Angels could be heard singing there. 

Over many years the church had fallen into disrepair. St. Francis set about repairing the Portiuncula after he received a vision instructing him to do so. It was near this Portiuncula where St. Francis, the patron saint of Italy and the patron saint of animals, drew his last breath. 

The fame of St. Francis drew so many pilgrims that in the 16th century Pope Pius V ordered the erection of a larger church, the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli, to house the smaller Chapel. 

This holy place was our first stop in Assisi, where we celebrated our first Mass of this pilgrimage, with Fr. Michael. 




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