Santa Maria degli Angeli (Assisi) -- St. Mary of the Angels

Our last stop in Assisi this past Saturday was St. Mary of the Angels Basilica, where St. Francis' Portiuncula ("small portion") is located! This little chapel is where St. Francis lived and began the Franciscan order. The basilica is built over the chapel -- we were actually able to walk into the chapel and pray th 

Here's the basilica:

We weren't allowed to take photos inside, but here are some online photos of the Portiuncula that will give you an idea of what we saw.

Below is a statue of Saint Francis to mark the spot where he talked to the doves. To this day, white turtle doves continue to nest in this statue or they sit nearby! This is my third time to this basilica in the last ten years, and there have always been two doves there!

Here are the two doves!

We also saw the "thornless rose bush." When St. Francis was tempted by the devil, he reportedly rolled in the bush and it turned from a briar bush into a thornless rose bush. To this day, there are no thorns on the rose bushes--but only here on this spot.