St Francis of Assisi’s skeleton displayed for first time, drawing pilgrims to basilica for 800th anniversary event until March 22.
ASSISI: Thousands of pilgrims formed long queues outside the Basilica of Saint Francis on Sunday. His skeletal remains were displayed publicly for the first time, marking the 800th anniversary of his death.
Families, couples and elderly visitors waited under a large marquee to see the 13th-century saint. Groups of 750 people were admitted every half hour through security checks starting at 7:00am.
The Franciscan order reported around 400,000 reserved visits for the display, which continues until March 22. The remains rest in a plexiglass case near the altar in the lower church.
“It was a very moving morning — a unique event and I appreciated it hugely,” said visitor Nicoletta Benolli, 65. She had travelled from Verona to witness the historic occasion.
Pilgrims are permitted to touch the outer glass case of the relic. Many made the sign of the cross or knelt in prayer as they viewed the bones laid on a white silk sheet.
“Sometimes we doubt but here, in these moments, we have the truth in front of us,” Benolli added. She described the proximity as making the saint’s legacy “very real.”
This is only the second public display of the bones, following a single-day viewing for a limited audience in 1978. Previous exhumations were solely for inspection and scientific examination.
“Being close to such a model of saintliness transmits something to the soul,” said pilgrim Nicola Urlandini, 35. He felt the quick passage by the remains was a “very intense” experience.
Communications director Giulio Cesareo noted the visibly consumed state of the skeleton. “These remains are really consumed but not consumed by time but by fatigue, by privations,” said the Franciscan friar.
The skull was damaged when the body was originally moved into the basilica in the 13th century. St Francis founded his order after renouncing wealth to live in poverty.
Franciscan nun Rosa Padhilete described feeling an “immense, inexplicable joy.” She travelled from Naples for the event, which she said revived hope for the living.
