Papal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels in Assisi

Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels
Basilica di Santa Maria Degli Angeli
Location	Assisi
Country	Italy
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Religious order	Order of Friars Minor
History
Status	Papal minor basilica
Consecrated	1679
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Galeazzo Alessi and Vignola
Architectural type	Church
Style	Mannerist; Baroque
Years built	1569–1679 1836–1840 (reconstruction)
Specifications
Length	126 metres (413 ft)
Width	65 metres (213 ft)
Number of domes	1
Dome height (outer)	75 metres (246 ft)
Administration
Division	Pontifical Legation for the Basilicas of St. Francis and St. Mary of the Angels
Province	Perugia-Città della Pieve
Diocese	Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and Other Franciscan Sites
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iii, iv, vi
Designated	2000 (24th session)
Reference no.	990

The Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels (Italian: Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli) is a papal minor basilica situated in the plain at the foot of the hill of Assisi, Italy, in the frazione of Santa Maria degli Angeli.

The basilica was constructed in the Mannerist style between 1569 and 1679, enclosing the 9th-century little church, the Porziuncola, the most sacred place for the Franciscans. It was here that the young Francis of Assisi understood his vocation and renounced the world in order to live in poverty among the poor, and thus started the Franciscan movement.