The church was built, after the death of St. Clare, between 1257 and 1265, around the ancient church of St. George, which until 1230 had kept the mortal remains of St. Francis. The remains of the saint were moved as early as 1260, while the solemn consecration took place in 1265, in the presence of Clement IV. The construction work was carried out by the architect Filippo da Campello. The crypt that now houses the tomb of the saint was built only in 1850. It was originally created to house the religious group of Poor Clares, who lived in the church of San Damiano.

The Basilica of San Francesco is located in Assisi, Umbria. It is the place that since 1230 has preserved and guarded the mortal remains of the seraphic saint. Wanted by Pope Gregory IX as specialis ecclesia, it was awarded by the same Pontiff the title of Caput et Mater of the Minority Order and simultaneously entrusted in perpetuity to the same friars. It is part of the non-extraterritorial property of the Holy See, so it does not enjoy diplomatic immunity. In the complex history that marked the evolution of the Order, the basilica (and the attached Sacred Convent) was always guarded by the so-called "friars of the community", the group that later went on to constitute the Order of Friars Minor Conventual. (since 2006 "Papal Basilica") and Papal Chapel. In 2000, along with other Franciscan sites in the district, the basilica was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is an Italian national monument.

free time to visit the beautiful medieval cities and the beautiful streets of Assisi