La Chiesa di San Pietro è localizzata nell’omonima piazza, ai margini del centro storico di Assisi. Forse meno conosciuto rispetto alle Basiliche di San Francesco e Santa Chiara, questo luogo di culto è stato inserito nella lista dei Patrimoni dell’Umanità dell’Unesco nel 2000 assieme agli altri siti francescani.
La particolare facciata, la bellezza dell’interno con la sua atmosfera spirituale e la sua origine di Monastero Benedettino, fanno della Chiesa di San Pietro una tappa da non perdere durante una visita ad Assisi.
La Chiesa di San Pietro, antico monastero benedettino
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I primi documenti relativi alla chiesa di San Pietro risalgono agli ultimi anni del X secolo, tuttavia, si ritiene che l’attuale aspetto sia il frutto di un pesante lavoro di ristrutturazione avvenuto intorno al 1255 d.C. In alcuni codici comunali infatti, viene riportato il fatto che fu Innocenzo IV nel 1254 d.C. a celebrare la consacrazione della chiesa nella stessa occasione in cui furono anche consacrate la cattedrale di San Rufino e la basilica di San Francesco.
La chiesa mostra un impianto tipico dell’edificio romanico-umbro del XIII secolo, con i segni caratteristici dell’ordine benedettino, ancor più evidenti se si pensa al timpano che in origine ne culminava la facciata e che fu demolito in seguito ad un terremoto nel XIX secolo. Benché questo possa sembrare un fatto di poco conto, va fatto notare come, l’appartenenza all’ordine benedettino costituisca per questo edificio il segno di maggiore identità nel panorama degli altri luoghi di culto di Assisi, infatti, a seguito di un editto del XIII secolo, nella città non fu più permesso costruire ad ordini religiosi che non fossero quello francescano.
Dopo essere stato utilizzato per alcuni anni come ospedale civile, l’edificio subì un importante restauro nel 1954. La chiesa continuò comunque a costituire sempre un punto di riferimento per la vita monastica e spirituale di Assisi; ad oggi, è abitata da una piccola comunità di monaci benedettini che vivono secondo la nota regola dell’ “Ora et Labora”.
La facciata rettangolare, nella caratteristica pietra rosa del Monte Subasio, è divisa orizzontalmente da un cornicione e verticalmente da lesene, in modo da individuare tre aree superiori e tre inferiori rispettivamente occupate da rosoni e portali di ingresso.
L’interno della Chiesa di San Pietro
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L’interno della chiesa, piuttosto austero e in pietra, è organizzato in tre navate con presbiterio leggermente rialzato e cripta; delle tre absidi che in origine costituivano la parte posteriore della chiesa ne rimangono accessibili solamente due.
La cupola che per un certo periodo fu anche decorata con smalti in terracotta, deve la sua forma ad una struttura, oggi in vista, costituita da una serie di scalini concentrici.
La chiesa di San Pietro è aperta tutti i giorni e liberamente visitabile, con i seguenti orari:
orario solare giornaliero, dalle 08.00 alle 19.00
orario legale giornaliero, dalle 08.00 alle 18.00
Puoi inoltre approfondire i luoghi simbolo e gli itinerari consigliati ad Assisi nel nostro articolo su Cosa Vedere ad Assisi in un giorno
The first documents about the church of St. Peter are dating back to the last years of the 10th century; however it is given that the actual aspect is the results of a large restructuring work realized around 1255 after Christ. In fact, in some communal codes is evocated the fact that it was Innocent IV in 1254 after Christ who celebrated the consecration of the church in the same occasion when were consecrated the cathedral of San Rufino and the basilica of San Francesco.
The church shows the typical map of the roman-Umbrian edifice of the 13th century, with the characteristic signs of the Benedictine order, even more obvious if one thinks about the tympanum that was originally placed on the top of the façade and that was demolished after an earthquake during the 19th century. Even it may seem irrelevant, we have to underline how the belonging to the Benedictine order is for this edifice the sign of major identity in the panorama of the other places of cult of Assisi; in fact, after an decree of the 13th century, any religious order that was not Franciscan was not allowed any more to build in the city.The rectangular façade, realized in the characteristic pink rock of the Subasio Mount, is divided horizontally by a cornice work and vertically by pilaster strips, in such a way to separate the superior areas and the three inferior ones respectively occupied by rosettes and entrance doors.
The austere internal part, in rock, is divided in three bays with a presbytery slightly elevated and a crypt; from the three apses that were originally the superior part of the church, only two are still accessible. The cupola, which during a certain period was also decorated with enamels in terracotta, has a form due to a structure, nowadays visible, made of a series of concentric stairs.
The first documents about the church of St. Peter are dating back to the last years of the 10th century; however it is given that the actual aspect is the results of a large restructuring work realized around 1255 after Christ. In fact, in some communal codes is evocated the fact that it was Innocent IV in 1254 after Christ who celebrated the consecration of the church in the same occasion when were consecrated the cathedral of San Rufino and the basilica of San Francesco.
The church shows the typical map of the roman-Umbrian edifice of the 13th century, with the characteristic signs of the Benedictine order, even more obvious if one thinks about the tympanum that was originally placed on the top of the façade and that was demolished after an earthquake during the 19th century. Even it may seem irrelevant, we have to underline how the belonging to the Benedictine order is for this edifice the sign of major identity in the panorama of the other places of cult of Assisi; in fact, after an decree of the 13th century, any religious order that was not Franciscan was not allowed any more to build in the city.The rectangular façade, realized in the characteristic pink rock of the Subasio Mount, is divided horizontally by a cornice work and vertically by pilaster strips, in such a way to separate the superior areas and the three inferior ones respectively occupied by rosettes and entrance doors.
The austere internal part, in rock, is divided in three bays with a presbytery slightly elevated and a crypt; from the three apses that were originally the superior part of the church, only two are still accessible. The cupola, which during a certain period was also decorated with enamels in terracotta, has a form due to a structure, nowadays visible, made of a series of concentric stairs.
The first documents about the church of St. Peter are dating back to the last years of the 10th century; however it is given that the actual aspect is the results of a large restructuring work realized around 1255 after Christ. In fact, in some communal codes is evocated the fact that it was Innocent IV in 1254 after Christ who celebrated the consecration of the church in the same occasion when were consecrated the cathedral of San Rufino and the basilica of San Francesco.
The church shows the typical map of the roman-Umbrian edifice of the 13th century, with the characteristic signs of the Benedictine order, even more obvious if one thinks about the tympanum that was originally placed on the top of the façade and that was demolished after an earthquake during the 19th century. Even it may seem irrelevant, we have to underline how the belonging to the Benedictine order is for this edifice the sign of major identity in the panorama of the other places of cult of Assisi; in fact, after an decree of the 13th century, any religious order that was not Franciscan was not allowed any more to build in the city.The rectangular façade, realized in the characteristic pink rock of the Subasio Mount, is divided horizontally by a cornice work and vertically by pilaster strips, in such a way to separate the superior areas and the three inferior ones respectively occupied by rosettes and entrance doors.
The austere internal part, in rock, is divided in three bays with a presbytery slightly elevated and a crypt; from the three apses that were originally the superior part of the church, only two are still accessible. The cupola, which during a certain period was also decorated with enamels in terracotta, has a form due to a structure, nowadays visible, made of a series of concentric stairs.
The first documents about the church of St. Peter are dating back to the last years of the 10th century; however it is given that the actual aspect is the results of a large restructuring work realized around 1255 after Christ. In fact, in some communal codes is evocated the fact that it was Innocent IV in 1254 after Christ who celebrated the consecration of the church in the same occasion when were consecrated the cathedral of San Rufino and the basilica of San Francesco.
The church shows the typical map of the roman-Umbrian edifice of the 13th century, with the characteristic signs of the Benedictine order, even more obvious if one thinks about the tympanum that was originally placed on the top of the façade and that was demolished after an earthquake during the 19th century. Even it may seem irrelevant, we have to underline how the belonging to the Benedictine order is for this edifice the sign of major identity in the panorama of the other places of cult of Assisi; in fact, after an decree of the 13th century, any religious order that was not Franciscan was not allowed any more to build in the city.The rectangular façade, realized in the characteristic pink rock of the Subasio Mount, is divided horizontally by a cornice work and vertically by pilaster strips, in such a way to separate the superior areas and the three inferior ones respectively occupied by rosettes and entrance doors.
The austere internal part, in rock, is divided in three bays with a presbytery slightly elevated and a crypt; from the three apses that were originally the superior part of the church, only two are still accessible. The cupola, which during a certain period was also decorated with enamels in terracotta, has a form due to a structure, nowadays visible, made of a series of concentric stairs.
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