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La Verna
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 © Photo: Andrea Barghi |
| On the mountain where St
Francis received the stigmata stands the Sanctuary of La
Verna, built into the rock. The way the different buildings that make up the sanctuary are inserted naturally in the environment is quite impressive. These artistically important structures were built in the places where the saint and his companions used to go for meditation and prayer. The works of art preserved inside the various religious buildings testify to the very high level reached by the artists to whom these works were commissioned. In May of 1213, Count Orlando Catani of Chiusi della Verna, who had heard of Francis, encountered him by chance in the Castello di San Leo in Montefeltro and made him a present of the mountain: |
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| ‘Io ho in Toscana un monte divotissimo il quale si chiama il monte della Verna lo quale Ë molto solitario e selvatico ed Ë troppo bene atto a chi volesse far penitenza in un luogo solitario rimosso dalla gente, o a chi desidera vita solitaria; s’egli ti piacesse, volentieri il donerei a te a tuoi compagni per la salute dell’anima mia’ |  © Photo: Andrea Barghi |
| [I have in Tuscany a very
devout mountain called Monte della Verna. It is isolated
and wild and very well suited for anyone wanting to make
penitence in a lonely place far from people, or desiring
a solitary life. If you like, I would gladly give it to
you and your companions for the salvation of my soul]. Following this meeting, Francis struck out with a few companions on his pilgrimage towards the mountain. Thus continued the spiritual walk of the man whose body, in 1224, would bear the stigmata, tangible signs of a direct encounter with God. The Sanctuary of La Verna is composed of different structures built on the places where the saint lived, prayed and meditated, and is the site of miracles. Along the flagged path from La Beccia is an area called "Porta degli Uccelli", where the birds hailed the saint’s arrival in that remote place. The Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli was the first construction built on the mountain. Begun in 1216 and later enlarged (1250-1260), it contains Della Robbia terracottas commissioned by the Bartoli family of Florence. From the large paved square called the Quadrante one reaches the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, built between 1348 and 1509. Inside, among the numerous works of art, one can admire the Annunciazione Niccolini, a glazed terracotta by Andrea Della Robbia (1475), which clearly demonstrates the high level reached by this artist. The 16th century organ has exceptional tonal qualities, while the chapel contains relics of the saint, including a whip, part of a friar’s cord, a walking-stick and a piece of blood-stained cloth. To fully appreciate the atmosphere of the place one must descend to the Sasso Spicco, an enormous cleft in the rock where Francis used to go to pray. According to legend, the rock was produced by the earthquake that occurred after Christ’s death. Other places charged with religious significance are the Corridor of the Stigmata (1578), where a door leads to the cave where Francis used to sleep on a bare stone, and the Chapel of the Stigmata, begun in 1263 by Count Simone da Battifolle. The visit can be followed by a climb to the top of Monte Penna, which provides one of the most fascinating panoramas of the Casentino. |
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