San Damiano Religious Site

San Damiano is a small Romanesque church and adjacent convent outside Assisi in Umbria, closely associated with St. Francis and St. Clare. The site is historically important for the founding of the female Franciscan order in the early 13th century.

The simple stone church interior and the painted crucifix long associated with St. Francis; a replica is now displayed at the site while the original has been removed for preservation. The cloistered convent and monastery buildings reflect medieval monastic architecture and the site’s ongoing religious use.

The church dates to the medieval period and became central to Franciscan and Clarissan activity in the 13th century, when Clare and her companions established the female branch of the Franciscan movement. The complex has been preserved as a place of pilgrimage and worship since that time.

San Damiano is located a short distance outside the town of Assisi in the Umbrian hills, set among rural land and paths that link it to the town’s medieval centre and other Franciscan sites.

• Franciscan connection: Associated with St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare; Clare founded the Order of Poor Clares at the convent in 1212 and lived there thereafter.

What to See#

• Church of San Damiano: The small stone church contains the replica of the painted crucifix traditionally associated with St. Francis; the original crucifix has been moved for preservation.
• Convent and cloister: Monastic buildings and cloister that formed the convent where St. Clare established the order of Poor Clares in the early 13th century.

San Damiano (the convent and sanctuary associated with St. Francis and St. Clare) lies just outside Assisi in Umbria. From Assisi town centre it is an easy walk of about 15-25 minutes (roughly 1-1.5 km) along local roads and footpaths, or a short taxi/drive. From Perugia the site is about 20-25 km (around 30-40 minutes by car) via the SS75/SS3 road corridor; regional buses from Assisi serve nearby stops with a short walk to the sanctuary.

• San Damiano (near Assisi) is a short walk from Assisi and best visited early in the morning to avoid crowds and to experience the site in quiet - remember the return route is uphill if you walk from town.
• Be respectful of the convent community: maintain low noise levels and observe modest dress rules; the site is still a place of worship and pilgrimage rather than a purely tourist attraction.
• Confirm opening hours in advance (they can change for liturgical events) and consider taking the short pilgrim path from Assisi for a more atmospheric approach rather than driving directly to the carpark.