| The site comprises a rather large territory where most of the important Franciscan places are located. Besides the historical center, delimited by its walls, it includes the San Francesco Basilica, just within the town walls, the Carceri Hermitage in the Subasio mountain, the Saint Damian and Rivotorto sanctuaries and the Santa Maria degli Angeli Basilica in the plain. Assisi, already an ancient sanctuary in antiquity, has been associated with Saint Francis and the Franciscan Order since the 13th century, exercising an important influence in Italy and in the world. Assisi and its built territory represent an outstanding example of an Umbrian hill town and cultural landscape that has maintained its historical stratigraphy since antiquity. The works of medieval masters have made Assisi a fundamental reference point for the development of Italian art and architecture. |
Criterion (i): Assisi represents an ensemble of masterpieces of human creative genius, such as the Basilica of San Francesco, which have made it a fundamental reference for art history in Europe and in the world.
Criterion (ii): The interchange of artistic and spiritual message of the Franciscan Order has significantly contributed to developments in art and architecture in the world.
Criterion (iii): Assisi represents a unique example of continuity of a city-sanctuary within its environmental setting from its Umbrian-Roman and medieval origins to the present, represented in the cultural landscape, the religious ensembles, systems of communication, and traditional land-use.
Criterion (iv): The Basilica of San Francesco is an outstanding example of a type of architectural ensemble that has significantly influenced the development of art and architecture.
Criterion (vi): Being the birthplace of the Franciscan Order, Assisi has from the Middle Ages been closely associated with the cult and diffusion of the Franciscan movement in the world, focusing on the universal message of peace and tolerance even to other religions or beliefs.