Bryce & Damon in Europe
by Pertinax Carrus
Chapter 17, Assisi
Leaving Siena after breakfast, Damon followed the route laid out for him by Bryce as they planned the tour, taking them about 81 miles along a winding road from Tuscany southeastward to the province of Umbria. They passed the northern shore of Lake Trasimeno, the largest lake south of the Alpine lakes of the north. Interestingly, no major river flows into or out of this lake. Somewhere along the northern shore the Battle of Lake Trasimeno was fought in April of 217 B.C., pitting the invading Carthaginians under Hannibal against the Romans under C. Flaminius. Hannibal carried out one of the most successful ambushes in history, annihilating about half of the Roman army of 30,000. Flaminius drowned in the lake while trying to escape. Passing the lake and the town of Perugia, the travelers arrived on the lower plains of Assisi, where Bryce had them scheduled to visit the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli.
This good sized church was constructed in 1569 to house the chapel called the Porziuncola. This tiny church, and in fact the whole of Assisi, is associated with St. Francis (1181-1226), who was given this chapel by the Benedictine abbot of Monte Subasio in 1208. It was here that he made his headquarters for many years, and it was here that he received St. Clare in 1211, founding the Franciscan second order of enclosed nuns now called the Order of Saint Clare (Ordo Sanctae Clarae) in her honor, and popularly referred to as the Poor Clares. They visited the little chapel housed inside the larger basilica, and then made their way to the parking facility at the foot of the climb into the town of Assisi itself. Bryce was somewhat apprehensive about leaving overnight his car with those items they would not be taking to their hotel, such as his paintings purchased in Paris and a pretty good stash of books. They covered the materials in the rear of the car with a blanket, and made certain it was locked before leaving.
There is a little transport system, like a miniature open air bus, which the two took only because the incline was steep and they were carrying their luggage. They were deposited about half way along the main street of Assisi, the Corso Mazzini, at the Hotel dei Priori, where they had reservations. The three star hotel has 34 rooms, including WiFi, and its own restaurant. The rooms are air conditioned, a consideration in July even though they were in the hill country. It is family owned by the Cilleni in a structure which dates to about 1570. It was still early, but because they had long-standing reservations, and guests had departed early that morning, they were able to check in and stash their belongings prior to going out to explore the city.
They walked only a short distance to the town square, where there was what was originally a Roman temple, now a church decorated in Baroque style, called Santa Maria sopra Minerva, more or less meaning the church of the Blessed Virgin imposed upon, or on top of the temple of Minerva. Both the outside and the inside were of interest, the outside being the original Roman temple, and the inside being the Baroque church. Also on the town square was the town hall, of course, just in case they needed to consult officialdom.
Continuing along the corso, or main street, they came to the Basilica of St. Francis (Basilica di San Francesco d’Assisi), begun in 1228, only two years after the saint’s death, and completed in 1253. On 16 July 1228 Pope Gregory IX visited Assisi, where he presided at the canonization ceremony of St. Francis and also laid the foundation stone for the basilica. The land on the west side of town was formerly known as the Colle d’Inferno, or “Hill of Hell” and was the place where criminals were executed. The basilica consists of two levels, called, logically enough, the upper and lower basilica. Associated with the church is the friary, the mother house of the Franciscans, officially designated the Ordo Fratrum Minorum. That is usually translated as Order of Friars Minor to keep the O.F.M. of the Latin, but could just as correctly be translated as the Order of Little Brothers, in keeping with the word used by St. Francis for his followers, fraticelli, or little brothers.
On the Feast of Pentecost in the year 1230 the remains of St. Francis were transported in solemn procession from their original resting place in the Church of St. George (now the Basilica of St. Clare) in the eastern part of town to the lower basilica of St. Francis, where they remain to this day. Brother Elias of Cortona, architect of the basilica, hid the remains of the saint beneath the altar in order to prevent the very thing which Damon found distasteful, namely the dismemberment of the body and its distribution among churches all over Europe. The location was lost to memory, and only rediscovered in 1818. Visitors can view the sarcophagus in the crypt, which Bryce and Damon did. In addition, the lower basilica contains other chapels, such as that of St. Catherine of Alexandria, with interesting frescoes depicting the life of the saint, and the tomb of John of Brienne (1155-1237), King-Consort of Jerusalem and Regent of the Latin Empire of Constantinople. The central nave of the lower church is decorated with parallel frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Christ on the right and the life of St. Francis on the left. Confessions are heard, and Mass celebrated on an almost continuous basis, so Bryce received the sacrament of penance, and then both attended Mass in the lower basilica before ascending to the upper level.
By contrast with the dim lower basilica, the upper basilica is all light and space, with walls decorates with frescoes. Cimabue (1240-1302), regarded by many art historians as the founder of Renaissance painting, decorated the apse and transept with scenes from the Gospels and the lives of Our Lady, St. Peter, and St. Paul. Cimabue is remembered in Canto XI of Dante’s Purgatorio as an example of the fleeting nature of worldly fame, as he was lost in admiration for the work of his pupil Giotto (1266-1337). This is the same Giotto who designed the campanile in Florence, among other masterpieces. At Assisi he is thought by most scholars to have painted the series of frescoes on the Life of St. Francis in the upper basilica, although others dispute this. This cannot be verified, as the original records were destroyed by Bonaparte’s troops, who stationed horses in the upper basilica. The French conqueror seems to turn up everywhere. In addition to these major figures, many other artists contributed to the decoration of the basilica.
After completing their tour of the basilica, Bryce and Damon sat for some time in the Piazza del Loge, the large open space before the church, surrounded by colonnades constructed in 1474, where the large crowds of pilgrims congregate on special occasions. There, they studied the guidebooks picked up in the (inevitable) gift shop, and discussed the life of St. Francis.
Born the son of Pietro di Bernardone, a wealthy merchant, as a young man Francis lived an adventuresome and even romantic life, longing to go on crusade and have other adventures like those in the tales of the troubadours of the times. He also fought in a brief conflict between Assisi and one of its neighbors. Then, after a serious illness, in 1204 he determined to devote his life to Christ. On a pilgrimage to the large city of Rome, he became aware of the plight of the urban poor. By the beginning of the thirteenth century, towns were sprouting all over the West as commerce developed and a middle class reappeared, like Francis’ own family. But the social services of the church had not kept pace with changing conditions, and the urban poor were largely neglected. To meet this need became a major thread in Francis’ life from then on. After his return to Assisi, Francis had a vision while at the small chapel of San Damiano in the country outside Assisi, in which Jesus told him to “repair my house, which is falling into ruins.” At first, Francis thought this referred to the chapel, but then came to realize it referred to the entire Church. Francis’ father, a typical merchant, was very much opposed to his son’s work among the poor, especially his giving things away, and attempted to force him to abandon this crazy idea with arguments, and, when that did not work, with beatings. Consequently, before the Bishop of Assisi Francis renounced his family, and stripped himself naked, saying he would take nothing from his father, and went off to live among the poor.
In 1209, after listening to a sermon based on part of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, Francis began preaching repentance, although he had no license to do so. Within a year, he had eleven followers doing the same. They went to Rome to seek authorization from Pope Innocent III, who gave them temporary recognition. On 16 April 1210 they received official recognition, and began spreading throughout Italy. The members of this first Franciscan order were called friars, a word derived from the Latin for brothers, to distinguish them from monks. Generally speaking, monks withdrew from the world, found mostly in remote places, whereas friars worked in the world, such as the work of the Franciscans among the urban poor. The next year with the reception of another daughter of privilege who renounced the world, Clare Offreduccio, the second order for women was created, later called the Poor Clares. Later Francis formed a third order for those who, for whatever reason, could not join a friary or convent, but continued to live with their families but follow various guidelines as to life and prayer.
In 1219 Francis went to Egypt, where crusaders were attempting to capture Damietta, which was defended by Sultan al-Kamil, a nephew of the famous Saladin. Francis sought to convert the Sultan, without success. Not long after this failure, back in Italy, Francis set up the first known Christmas crèche. This one was live, using a real donkey and a real ox. The friars began to spread beyond Italy, and increased greatly in numbers, requiring greater organization, which Francis provided in his Second Rule, authorized by Pope Honorius III in 1223, after which he more or less withdrew from administrative affairs. The next year, 1224, while at prayer, Francis received the stigmata, i.e., the wounds of Christ in his hands, feet, and side, the first known example of that phenomenon. He died at the Porziuncola in 1226. Francis dedicated his life to poverty, saying he was married to Lady Poverty. He also had a strong appreciation for nature as God’s handiwork, as illustrated in his “Canticle of the Sun,” and he is depicted in the collection of anecdotes about him called the “Little Flowers” as a friend of animals. As a result, many parishes have a blessing of animals on the Feast of St. Francis, October 4. Probably the place named for St. Francis most familiar to Americans is San Francisco, California, a Franciscan mission founded in 1776, and a twin city of Assisi.
After reviewing the information in their guide books, Bryce and Damon went in search of lunch. As they sat in a small restaurant on the corso just off the Piazza del Loge, Bryce remarked, “You look like you are chewing on ideas as much as your lunch.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Damon replied. Then, after a pause, he asked, “Why is it that some people believe and others don’t?”
“That’s a hard question to answer,” Bryce replied. “I don’t know for sure.”
“Is there some bit of information or some secret knowledge that believers have that the rest don’t?” Damon persisted.
“No, I don’t think so,” Bryce said. “Try this on for size. I think very few people come to believe though a purely rational process, just like very few come to disbelieve in the same way. In every case I know of personally, the individuals came to believe or to reject belief based on personal experience, and only later worked out the logical arguments for their position. My own belief is based on my upbringing, especially a loving mother who believes strongly. Sure, I can give logical arguments and historical citations, but someone else can examine those arguments and that history, and still not believe. In the same way, I know of a case where the father of a family was a drunk who beat his wife and children. He was a member of the Church who showed up at Mass every Sunday. His son, a guy my age, left the Church while in high school. If you ask him, he’ll give you all kinds of arguments from science to back up his contention that this world is all there is, and the spiritual world is an illusion, but the real reason is one I heard him say back in high school, “no god could allow that bastard to live.” It was his reaction to the abuse of his father which was the real reason for his disbelief, and all the science was just to bolster a decision already made based on that personal experience. In my case, and in this guy’s case, that seems to hold true.”
“So, are you saying there is no real reason for believing or not?” Damon asked.
“No. I think the reasons for believing I worked out after I came to believe are still valid. I think there are logical consequences of belief or disbelief which are very serious in the long run. Basically, it comes down to whether the universe makes sense, has a purpose, or not. Besides, I think it’s more natural to believe than not to believe. I don’t think there has ever been a society which developed naturally without some kind of belief in a god or gods, that is, in the reality of the spiritual world. Of course, there are the Communist regimes of the twentieth century, but they were imposed by force, not natural developments. Did you ever come across a children’s song called something like “They’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught”?
“Not that I can recall,” Damon answered.
“It must have been in Kindergarten, or maybe in religion classes as a small child, that I came across it. I don’t really remember any of the verses any more. But the gist of it is that children left to themselves accept other children. Love is natural. You have to be taught to hate others.”
“I can sure identify with part of that from my experiences in the projects,” Damon agreed, “but only in part. Some people seem pretty hateful from the beginning.”
“Well, as I understand it, the teaching involved does not have to be something like a classroom, or even a parent instructing a child. It could be experience which does the teaching. If a child is naturally welcoming, but the person he welcomes hits him and steals his lunch, that is teaching him to hate the other person. And if the other person is in some way different, say skin color, or slanted eyes, or red hair, for that matter, it doesn’t take much to then make everyone who is different in that way an object of hatred. It’s a lot easier to hate the unknown, the different,” Bryce speculated.
“Okay, but how does this relate to belief? That is what we were talking about,” Damon reminded his boyfriend.
“Oh, yeah. Sometimes I wander off.” Damon rolled his eyes and mouthed “sometimes?” But Bryce came to the point. “I’m not real sure about this, but I think belief is like love. It’s the natural response. Somewhere along the line, you have to be taught, directly by a teacher or indirectly by experience, to not believe.”
“Well, that sounds okay as what we might call a working hypothesis,” Damon allowed.
After sitting, first in the piazza, then in the restaurant during their extended discussion, they found that the early afternoon had flown. Consequently, they moved down the corso visiting several souvenir shops along the way. They again passed the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, and their Hotel dei Priori. Bryce wondered which priors it was for whom the hotel was named. They continued along the corso until they reached the Basilica of St. Clare. This church, now the center of the Poor Clares, was once the parish church of St. George. In the crypt, enshrined in a crystal casket, is the incorrupt body of St. Clare. Damon whispered that at least they left her all in one piece, which caused Bryce to giggle most inappropriately. Also in this church was the crucifix from which Christ spoke to St. Francis in San Damiano. The two basilicas, St. Francis and St. Clare, more or less anchor the west and east ends of town.
While Assisi obviously had adapted to the pilgrims and tourists, it was remarkably unchanged. The houses are still of pink stone, as they were in the thirteenth century. Many of the “streets” are in fact staircases leading up the steep hillside, just as they did in the days of Francis and Clare. The continuity and permanence of things in Assisi is well illustrated by the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. It has been a place of worship since Roman times, first as a temple to the goddess of wisdom, then as a church dedicate to Our Lady, who has among her many titles Seat of Wisdom.
Another example of continuity was experienced as the guys sought out dinner at their hotel. The restaurant is located on the lower level, which Damon immediately dubbed the basement. It could seat about a hundred diners, although nowhere near that number were there as the guys entered. It advertised traditional Umbrian cuisine, but also some international dishes. All fine and good, but the thing which impressed these visitors was that on the staircase down to the restaurant there were remnants of a Roman well dating to the second century.
After dinner, to settle their meal before retiring, Damon and Bryce took another stroll around the town. As they exited the gates just before the Piazza del Lugo, Damon happened to look up the side of the hill to their right. There, lit up, was the castle, called the Rocca Maggiore, rebuilt after the previous stronghold was destroyed by the papal governor of central Italy, Cardinal Gil de Albornoz, in 1367. It looked as threatening in July of 2010 as it must have to the citizens in the fourteenth century. Not much changes in Assisi.
The next morning, after a leisurely breakfast, the adventurers checked out and carted their goods back to the car park at the foot of the hill. They were pleased to find that their vehicle had not been broken into, and everything seemed intact. They loaded up, and set off on their 115 mile journey to the eternal city, Rome.