From Wikipedia:
This little church was given around 1208 to St. Francis by the Abbot of St. Benedict of Monte Subasio, on condition of making it the mother house of his religious family. It was in bad condition, laying abandoned in a wood of oak trees. He restored it with his own hands.
After a pilgrimage to Rome, where he begged at the church doors for the poor, he said he had had a mystical vision of Jesus Christ in the Church of San Damiano just outside of Assisi, in which the Icon of Christ Crucified came alive and said to him three times, "Francis, Francis, go and repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins".
This little church became the home of St. Francis, and soon of his first disciples. In this church St. Francis founded the Order of Friars Minor, and from that moment it has never been abandoned by the friars.
On Palm Sunday 1211 St. Francis received in this church Clare of Assisi and dedicated her to the Lord.
The General Chapters, the annual meetings of the friars, were held in this church usually during Pentecost (months of May - June).
Feeling his end approaching, St. Francis asked to brought back to the Porziuncola in September 1226. On his death-bed St. Francis recommended the chapel to the faithful protection and care of his brethren. He died, in his cell, not fifteen yards from the church, at sunset on Saturday, 3 October 1226.
However this may be, here or in this neighbourhood was the cradle of the Franciscan Order. After the death of Francis, the spiritual value and the charisma of the Porziuncola became even greater. St. Francis himself pointed out the Portiuncola as a primary source of inspiration and a model for all his followers. Today it still continues to be the most authentic testimony to the life and message of St. Francis.
On the indulgence:
In the year 513 four hermits who had visited the holy places in Palestine, came to Italy and settled down in Spoleto, in the vicinity of Assisium. There they built a little chapel, which afterwards came into the possession of the Benedictines and had various names, of which the most common was The Portiuncula church. The Benedictines held possession of it up to the thirteenth century. About that time there lived in Assisi a very pious and holy man, named Francis. In the year 1210 he founded a new Order, the Order of the Friars Minor, at present known throughout the whole world under the name of the Franciscan Order. As this saint esteemed poverty and lowliness above all, he greatly loved the poor little Portiuncula church and besought the Benedictine Abbot to let him and the brothers of his Order have the little church for their use, which request the Abbot cheerfully granted. From that date the little Portiuncula church, which in course of time was enlarged and beautified, has remained in the possession of the Franciscans.Read more here.
It was in this little church that St. Francis implored of God the Portiuncula indulgence.
...The Portiuncula indulgence is the first plenary indulgence that was ever granted in the Church. There were indeed indulgences at all times, but they were only partial, and only a partial remission of the temporal punishments could be obtained by them. But, as already remarked, he who gains the Portiuncula indulgence is freed from all temporal punishments and becomes as pure as after holy baptism. This was also the reason why Pope Honorius was astonished when St. Francis petitioned for the confirmation of this indulgence, for such an indulgence, up to that time, bad been entirely unknown. It was only after he had come to the conviction that Jesus Christ himself wished it, that he granted the petition of the saint and confirmed the indulgence.
When we were in Rome, we took a day trip to the town of St. Francis - it truly was a highlight of my stay in Italy.
After a pleasant, and sometimes sleepy, train ride, we arrived at the Assisi station, which was situated outside the city of Assisi proper.
We walked to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, which was very crowded and busy and had our Sunday Mass in a little stone chapel called the Chapel of the Tears.
After Mass we went to the main church to pray at the Porziuncola. We also spent a short while praying near the spot were St. Francis died.
Inside the Porziuncola
It was quite moving standing at the very heart of the great Franciscan Order, seeing the spot where St. Francis died, and trying to imagine what the place would have looked back then - the area where the Basilica now stands was a forest back then. Because it was Sunday, however, we didn't get to spend much time there - the place was crowded, and a Mass was about to begin. I wish we had had more time.
Next we took a short bus ride to the town of Assisi and we alighted just outside the city walls. First stop: the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi
This papal basilica actually comprises of two churches - one on top of the other.
The Lower Church is mainly of Romanesque style - low-vaulted, rather dimly lit. It reflects St. Francis' life of poverty and penance:
The tomb of St Francis, in the crypt of the Lower Church
The Upper Church is more luminous, and is of the Gothic style. It seems to symbolize the joy of St Francis' heavenly reward:
The Umbrian landscape from the square outside the Upper Church. The sun was blazing hot that afternoon.
We had lunch in a small cafe, away from the crowds.
The lady who runs the cafe seemed unused to crowds - and I think she was a bit hassled when a bunch of people who didn't know the language very well, and had some peculiar eating habits trooped in that Sunday afternoon. One from our group kept asking for "Noo-TEL-la" flavoured gelato (he thought that we would be understood better if we spoke in Italian accents and laboured under this delusion for most of our trip); she heard it as something else (can't remember the Italian word) and asked if that was what he wanted. He repeated "Noo-TEL-la" louder. She repeated her word, also louder. This happened several times until he settled for something else, indicating his choice by pointing. Father Marin was very amused.
After lunch we head off in the direction of the Basilica of St Clare.
Assisi, a medieval city, unlike Renaissance Rome, is very quaint and picturesque.
Santa Chiara (Saint Clare)
A chapel in St Clare's houses the San Damiano Cross before which St. Francis of Assisi was praying when he received the commission from the Lord to rebuild the Church.
St Clare's preserved body is on display in the crypt, her face protected by a layer of wax.
From Sacred Destinations:
Born to a count and countess in Assisi in 1193, Chiara (Clare to English-speakers) was a friend of Francesco (Francis) and followed his example against her parents' wishes. At the age of 18 (1211), she left her stately home and ran off to meet Francis. Francis clothed Clare in sackcloth and cut off her hair, signaling her renunciation of the world. She took the veil of the religious life from Francis at the Church of Our Lady of the Angels in Assisi.
Clare pursued her new path unwaveringly, adopting the rule of St. Benedict tempered with Francis's preaching of poverty. She soon gathered a large female following at San Damiano and Francis urged her to set up a convent there. She did so, and became abbess of the new community known as the Poor Clares. Clare's mother and sisters later joined the order, and there are still thousands of members today.
Clare is described as humble, merciful, charming, optimistic and chivalrous. It is said she would get up late at night to tuck in her sisters who had kicked off their covers. Like Francis, Clare was known for her many miracles. Among her most famous feats is using a consecrated Host (communion wafer) to ward off invaders ranging from the Saracens (1240) to the local trouble-maker Vitale d'Aversa (1241).
Bed-ridden on Christmas Eve 1252, Clare was upset that her illness was keeping her from Mass in the new Basilica of St. Francis in town. Suddenly, she was blessed with a vision of the Mass, both hearing and seeing it miraculously from several miles away. This led a modern pope to pronounce her the patron saint of television in 1958. She is also patron of sore eyes.
Clare died in Assisi on August 11, 1253. Like Francis, she was canonized quickly - on September 26, 1255, by Pope Alexander IV. The church of Santa Chiara was built in 1257-65, in the early Gothic style, to house her tomb.
View of the city-centre taken from outside the Basilica of St. Clare
Prior to my trip to Assisi, St. Francis seemed a distant, almost legendary figure - not really a saint I considered modelling my own life after. I couldn't live like he did, could I? Visiting his home-town, seeing his tomb, praying his famous prayer in front of the San Damiano Crucifix, and reading up about him before the trip, all helped make St Francis a real human being to me. And I have come to love him - he really is a loveable saint; and Assisi is a very loveable city - simple, and joyful, just like her famous son.
The Assisi experience really was a blessed one - and hopefully it continues to bear fruit in my life. During his homily, Father talked about St Francis' lesson to us on poverty. Christian poverty is a beautiful ideal and helps us trust God more fully. One resolution I made during my trip to Italy was to try to live this spirit of poverty in my own circumstances. Perhaps I'll write more on some advice Father gave me on the topic some other time.
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