Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi in Palermo
The Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi in Palermo is one of the most illustrious and significant churches in Palermo for its artistic value and historical value.
The church was built in 1254 on the remains of a church destroyed by the emperor Frederick II.
The facade, in late Romanesque style, is adorned with a precious rose window and a splendid fourteenth-century portal with the insignia of the powerful Chiaramonte family who were the clients. The ogival arch frame has zigzag motifs of clear Islamic derivation.
The planimetric layout is the original one, except for the presence of the chapels that were built starting from the fourteenth century. Of considerable value is the "Cappella Mastrantonio", built in 1470, which marks the introduction of Renaissance forms in Sicilian art, and the chapel of the Immaculate Conception, from the seventeenth century, one of the most representative works of the Palermo Baroque with its sumptuous decoration of polychrome mixed marbles.
Following the earthquake of 1823, the church was restored in a neoclassical style. The disastrous bombings of World War II still damaged the ancient basilica, which was still restored in a simpler style, closer to its ancient appearance.
