The Church of S. Maria Maggiore is an ancient and precious testimony of the historical significance of the city. In few other places one can experience so much history – especially in such fine state of preservation – in just seven metres of eight. This place, which is yet to be fully explored and studied, was a house, belonging to a wealthy local personality, likely a poet; it probably was a pagan temple and then became a paleochristian church which, according to the tradition, was founded by the Bishop Savinio in the IV Century, and kept morphing until the XII Century, when it assumed its current aspect. Evidence is given by the inscription on the only rose window on the façade: “ANNO DOMINI 1162 IOHANNES FECIT”. The Iohannes mentioned in the inscription is probably the same Giovanni da Gubbio who a few years earlier designed the Assisi Cathedral, named after Saint Rufinus.
Here, where ‒ like in many other places in Assisi‒ history and legend intertwine inextricably, one of the main events in Francis’ life occurred: the “Renunciation”, when Francis gives up his wordly goods and converts to the Christian Mission. Bishop Guido, friend of Francis and rampant aristocrat, who also would symbolically and physically renounce all his belongings, is one of the protagonists of the story. The Renunciation happened during a trial held in the episcopal seat – which at the time was S. Maria Maggiore – that saw Francis as a defendant. Pietro di Bernardone publicly accused the son for squandering, without his permission, a considerable portion of the family’s wealth to give it to the poor, hoping that the judgement of the public square could make the young man come back to his senses. In all response Francis took off his clothes, all of them, gave them to his father as a token of his final belongings and gave his life to God with the following phrase: «Up until now I called you, my father on earth; from now on I can say without a doubt: Our Father who art in heaven, because to him I gave all my treasures and in him I have placed all my trust and hope». As bishop Guido hastened to cover him with his cape and the crowd was cheering him, Pietro di Bernardone realised that his accusations could not stand as Francis was no longer his son. Many have narrated the Renunciation throughout the centuries, but Giotto is probably the one who did it best when he painted the scene in his series in the Basilica Superiore of Saint Francis. The exact spot where the process took place is unknown. There are three hypothesis: in the Bishop’s Palace Throne Room, today Renunciation Room, in the cloister or right outside, in the square in front of the church. All three spaces are open to the public, so you chan make your own guess.
The the only decorative elements on the Romanic façade are the rose window and two lines of vertical rib vaults, which divide the three naves inside. Two small portals – one in the middle, bigger, and a smaller one on the left – are the only entrances. Santa Maria Maggiore has an extremely plain construction style and is probably the closest specimen to the idea of Franciscan Church in Assisi. A stone in the back of the building, behind the absis, reveals that restoration works were carried out in 1216, when Francis was still alive and, given his friendship with bishop Guido, he might have played a role in how they were executed.
Inside we find three naves and what is left of its frescoes. Many of the artworks covering the walls and columns of the church peeled off during the centuries and their remains seem to be arranged casually on the white stucco alternating to bare bricks, like the last autumn leaves grasping to tree branches in winter. Some of the painted subjects, dated starting from the XIV Century, are still clear and recognisable, others are simply crusts of colour that time has spared. Descending into the crypt we can embark on our journey into the past that takes us to the paleochristian basilica. Under the low brick vaults we encounter some Roman capitals and a IX Century Longobard stone sarcophagus. Let’s keep walking down towards the crypt to reach further back in history.
Found in the middle of the XIX Century during some excavation works, the ruins of a domus, a Roman house, more precisely a Cryptoporticus: a covered or half-inground corridor used to connect the various rooms of a building. This Cryptoporticus was determined to belong to the childhood home of Sextus Propertius, one of the greatest poets of Imperial Rome. He worked at the court of Augustus and went down in history thanks to his elegies, a poetic style derived from Ancient Greece, rediscovered in the Middle Ages then reinvented by prominent authors such as Carducci, Leopardi, D’Annunzio, and Goethe. But the theory that ascribes the house to the elegiac poet is shrouded in mystery. Such hypothesis is supported by the analysis of a graffiti found on one of the domus’ walls, left by a visitor two centuries after the building is believed to be erected to leave a mark of his or her presence. What today would be considered vandalism, has paradoxically become an invaluable evidence some seventeen centuries later. The graffiti is not perfectly readable and some parts are missing, but this is how it was interpreted: “On February 22 of year 367, under the consuls Giovino and Lupicino, I’ve kissed the home of the muse”. Margherita Guarducci, who found the graffiti and managed the relevant studies and excavations, maintained that the word “muse” symbolised the spirit of poetry and could therefore metaphorically translate to “poet”. The idea is that the house was already considered in the IV Century a place for enthusiasts and tourists to visit and celebrate the great poet born in Assisi. Maybe an “ante litteram” museum, or a temple; a public place anyway. Moreover, during the excavation works, fragments of a memorial stone were found; they mentioned a man named “Sex. Propertius” (Sextus?) as commissioner of the city theatre.
In order to know precisely what or whose these places were we still have to wait, but that will not prevent us from enjoying their extraordinary beauty. The part of the Domus that resurfaced, the one near the old Roman and Medieval walls, is constituted of four main environments, three rooms and a long corridor. Decorations on the floors and walls are extremely well preserved and easily distinguishable. The precious marble tiles on the ground are arranged according to the opus sectile technique, forming colourful geometrical patterns. Also the frescoes, which probably covered the ceiling too, still maintain very vibrant colours. A special mention shall be made for the viridarium: a fresco covering a recess in the corridor representing a bucolic garden formed by trees with small heart-shaped red flowers, where 96 chirping birds sit. Two of the subjects are clearly recognisable: the first, a mythological depiction of Apollo, provides further evidence to the theory that this once was an oracular temple; the second proved to be rather tricky for researchers and shows two human figures, outlining their faces as in a close-up: a very unusual technique which was never observed in any other case.
If you feel overwhelmed by all these mysteries, you can take a walk in the gardens in front of the church, look at the ruins of the old city wall and enjoy the landscape.