Sanctuary of La Verna

The Sanctuary of La Verna is a collection of various buildings, built in the spots where St Francis lived, prayed and meditated, and has been the site of miracles. Along the flagged path from La Beccia is an arch, 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.