The Assisi Cathedral, dedicated to San Rufino (Rufinus of Assisi), sits in the homonymous square, almost hidden amongst the buildings that surround it as if they were its spectators. As one gets closer, descending from Piazza Matteotti, the cathedral starts revealing itself in all its beauty; its facade ‒ considered by many one of the most beautiful of the period ‒ radiates candid limestone splendour in a breathtaking perspective effect of dynamic geometries that keep mutating as the observer reaches the end of the slope. The effect is even more evocative on a late autumn afternoon, when the ivory stone soaks in the fiery orange of dusk that the evening will slowly extinguish.
Rufinus of Assis is the patron saint and was the first bishop of the city. He died as a martyr in the III Century A.D. and lived under the Roman Empire. His hagiography narrates his long trip to preach the Gospel leaving from modern Turkey to reach Italy in the Aburzzi – the land of the Marsi people – and finally settle in Assisi where he becomes a Bishop. The Christian religion was not tolerated by the Imperial Institutions of the time and Consul Aspasius relentlessly persecuted him until his capture, when he made the man confess his faith. Rufinus was then sentenced to death and, according to legend, that’s during his execution ‒ his firs execution ‒ that he proved his sanctity. He had managed to survive without a scratch the stake he was sentenced to and only died when he was thrown in the river Chiascio with a millstone tied around his neck. His devotees found the body downstream, where now rises the village of Costano in the municipality of Bastia Umbra. The Santuario del Crocifisso (Sanctuary of the Cross) located within the old city walls of the small village celebrates this event. The rough stone that forms the surface of the altar is believed to be same that drowned the Saint. After it was found, the body was moved to the same location as the Cathedral we see today.
The current church is the third, in order of time, that was built on that sacred land. The works for the final version of the Church were started in 1100 by the architect Giovanni da Gubbio, but the previous version that dates back to the year 1000 is linked to a fascinating popular legend. Bishop Ugo wanted to disinter the sarcophagus that was believed to contain Rufin’s sacred remains and move it to the main church of S. Maria Maggiore, which at the time was the episcopal seat. Although the people – not willing to lose a relic of such spiritual significance – harshly protested against the decision until they clashed with the Church Militias. According to the myth, it was the Saint’s miraculous intervention that solved the issue. Miltias prevailed, luckily without any bloodshed, but when they tried to move the sarcophagus they could not believe their eyes. The marble casket was inexplicably stuck to the ground. Sixty men tried with all their force and they could not move it by an inch, but only seven common people were enough to lift it. The miracle was such that Bishop Ugo soon gave up and changed his mind. He ordered to embellish and expand the Cathedral, and in 1035 he moved his seat there.
The interior of the current cathedral was designed in 1500 by the great Umbrian Architect Galeazzo Alessi. It was divided in three naves separated by majestic arches supported by square-base columns. On the right nave there is a very ancient marble baptismal font where, according to the tradition, all the protagonists of Assisi’s history had their heads wetted: from Saint Francis, to Saint Clare, to Frederick II. In proximity of the third nave, you will find the sumptuous Cappella del Santissimo Sacramento, the finest specimen of baroque art in the city.
The left nave reveals the antiquity of this place. The latest restoration works unveiled the most recondite soul of the cathedral. There lies the base of a Roman cistern on which the building rests. Inscribed on it are the names of the people who ordered its construction, the Marones, the local magistrates who were appointed by the Republic to govern the city.
Descending into the crypt is a journey back to the year 1000 and the harsh diatribe between Bishop Ugo and the Assisian People. The sarcophagus kept here is the same described in the legend, unbearably heavy for the evil and incredibly light for the just. The crypt was one of Francis’ places of choice for his solitary prayers, as well as the a small subterranean spot under the sacristy called the oratory of Saint Francis. The crypt is part of the Diocesan Museum‘s itinerary; inaugurated in 1941, which also includes the exhibitions of Palazzo dei Canonici, its cellar and the cloister of the adjacent cathedral. The museum collects very rare specimens of medieval painting left in the city and it is the best place, together with the Roman Forum and the archaeological collection, to discover the traces of the old Roman and pre-Roman city, including capitals, epigraphs, and other objects. Some rooms also contain precious Renaissance and pre-Renaissance artworks including the frescoes of the Master of Saint Clare and a beautiful piece by Niccolò Liberatore known as l’Alunno, one of the protagonists of the Umbrian Renaissance together with Perugino and Pinturicchio: The Saint Rufinus Altarpiece, where the painter depicts the story of the Patron Saint and his martyrdom.