Sanctuaries of St. Francis of Assisi

Sanctuaries of St. Francis of Assisi

During his life, Francis of Assisi often frequented the Valley of Rieti, Piana Reatina, (which for this reason is also known as Valle Santa): the first probably in 1209, then a long stay in 1223 and another from autumn 1225 to April 1226, shortly before his death.

During these stays important events took place: the first re-enactment of the Nativity through the Nativity scene, the drafting of the definitive Rule of St. Francis of the Franciscan order and (probably) the composition of the Canticle of creatures. But above all Francesco founded the four sanctuaries of Greccio, La Foresta, Poggio Bustone and Fonte Colombo which are located at the four corners of the valley, since then a destination for pilgrimages and religious tourism.

The stay of Saint Francis coincided with a period in which Rieti enjoyed economic prosperity and the Pope frequently made his seat in the Episcopal Palace of the city: in the span of a century the popes Innocenzo III (1198), Honorius III ( in 1219 and 1225), Gregory IX (in 1227, 1232 and 1234), Niccolò IV (between 1288 and 1289) and Boniface VIII (in 1298).