Basilica di Santa Chiara

Assisi

LoginSave

Built in a 13th-century Romanesque style, with muscular flying buttresses and a striking pink-and-white striped facade, this church is dedicated to St Clare, a spiritual contemporary of St Francis and founder of the Sorelle Povere di Santa Chiara (Order of the Poor Ladies), now known as the Poor Clares. She is buried in the church's crypt, alongside the original Crocifisso di San Damiano, a Byzantine cross before which St Francis was praying when he is said to have received his mission from God in 1205.

The revered cross was moved here from the Chiesa di San Damiano in 1257.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Italy, Umbria, Assisi, Basilica of San Francesco

    Basilica di San Francesco

    0.69 MILES

    Visible for miles around, the Basilica di San Francesco is the crowning glory of Assisi's Unesco-listed historic centre. The 13th-century complex is…

  • Tempio di Valadier built in 1828 inside a cave near caves of Frasassi. 1066342994

    Grotte di Frasassi

    29.33 MILES

    Deep in the hill country near the remote village of Genga, the Grotte di Frasassi is one of Europe’s largest cave systems. This karst wonderland, gouged…

  • Funicular ride above Gubbio.

    Funivia Colle Eletto

    19.52 MILES

    Although the Basilica di Sant'Ubaldo, perched high on Monte Ingino, is a perfectly lovely church, the real adventure is getting there on the funivia. The…

  • Tourist admire Pintoricchio's Pala di Santa Maria dei Fossi(1495) in the National Gallery of Umbria.(Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria). In the center of the multipaneled painting, the Madonna holds baby Jesus on her lap and a Pomergrante in the other hand.

    Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria

    11.92 MILES

    Umbria's foremost art gallery is housed in Palazzo dei Priori on Perugia's main strip. Its collection, chronologically displayed over 40 rooms, is one of…

  • Perugia, Piazza IV Novembre.

    Palazzo dei Priori

    11.93 MILES

    Flanking Corso Vannucci, this Gothic palace, constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries, is architecturally striking with its tripartite windows,…

  • 676802133 duomo di todi, place of worship, travel destinations, italian culture

    Piazza del Popolo

    22.49 MILES

    Just try to walk through Piazza del Popolo without trying to photograph it from every angle. The rectangular piazza is one of Umbria's finest medieval…

  • Panoramic view of Piazza IV Novembre, main square and masterpiece of medieval architecture in Perugia, Italy; Shutterstock ID 1043462140; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    Piazza IV Novembre

    11.92 MILES

    In Perugia all roads seem to lead to Piazza IV Novembre. This historic square, flanked by Palazzo dei Priori and the Cattedrale, has been at the heart of…

  • Gubbio, Italy, October 1, 2021: Piazza Grande in Italian town Gubbio.; Shutterstock ID 2316347295; purchase_order: 65050; job: poi; client: ; other: 2316347295

    Piazza Grande

    19.71 MILES

    This panoramic piazza, the result of an ambitious 14th-century urban development plan, is medieval Gubbio's showpiece square. Commanding huge valley views…

View more attractions

Nearby Assisi attractions

1. Cattedrale di San Rufino

0.12 MILES

This 13th-century Romanesque church, remodelled by Galeazzo Alessi in the 16th century, contains the font where St Francis and St Clare were baptised. The…

2. Chiesa Nuova

0.14 MILES

Just southeast of Piazza del Comune, this baroque domed church is a peaceful place for contemplation. It was built by King Philip III of Spain in 1615…

3. Tempio di Minerva

0.19 MILES

Lording it over Piazza del Commune is the imposing form of the Roman Tempio di Minerva. In fact, little remains of the original 1st-century BC structure…

4. Foro Romano

0.22 MILES

In among the churches and medieval streets you can still find a few traces of Assisi's Roman past. Extending beneath Piazza del Commune are the remains of…

5. Rocca Maggiore

0.31 MILES

Looming over Assisi is the 14th-century Rocca Maggiore, an oft-expanded, pillaged and rebuilt fortress that commands inspiring 360-degree views of Perugia…

6. Chiesa di San Damiano

0.51 MILES

Set amid lush olive groves 1.5km southeast of Assisi's historic centre, this atmospheric sanctuary is where St Francis is said to have heard the voice of…

7. Basilica Inferiore

0.68 MILES

The lower and earlier of the two churches comprising the Basilica di San Francesco, this basilica was commissioned by Pope Gregory IX in 1228, just two…

8. Basilica di San Francesco

0.69 MILES

Visible for miles around, the Basilica di San Francesco is the crowning glory of Assisi's Unesco-listed historic centre. The 13th-century complex is…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "italy/umbria-and-le-marche/assisi/attractions/basilica-di-santa-chiara/a/poi-sig/471902/360083",
  "destination": "Assisi",
  "continent": "Europe",
  "country": "Italy",
  "region": "Umbria",
  "city": "Assisi",
  "position": "superzone"
}