Treat the visit as a place of prayer, keeping conversation and photography within the site’s rules. Time in the tomb area is different from a guided explanation of the Upper Church’s art.
Assisi · YOUR QUESTION, ANSWERED
Where is the tomb of St. Francis?
The tomb of St. Francis is in the crypt beneath the Lower Church of the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. The basilica has three levels: the Upper Church, the Lower Church, and the crypt below it. The Lower Church opens daily from about 6:00 to 6:30 a.m., earlier than the Upper Church (from about 8:30 a.m.), and both close in the early evening. The early hour is the best time for quiet prayer at the tomb.
Related questions, answered
Is there an admission fee for the Basilica of St. Francis?
No, there is no admission fee for the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi; the Upper Church, the Lower Church, and the crypt with the tomb are open free of charge, and the friars ask only for offerings. The one paid service is the audio guide or a reserved guided visit, which can be booked online through the basilica's reservation system on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. Groups with a priest reserve a chapel for Mass at no set fee. Dress with shoulders and knees covered, keep silence in the Lower Church, and do not photograph inside the crypt.
Can I visit the Basilica of St. Francis on a Sunday?
Yes, the Basilica of St. Francis is open every Sunday: the Lower Church and the crypt open at 6:00 a.m. and the Upper Church at 8:30 a.m., closing in the early evening (6:45 p.m. for the Upper Church in summer). Sunday Masses in the Lower Church are at 7:30 and 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 and 6:30 p.m., with Masses in the Upper Church at 10:30 a.m. and noon and an English Mass listed at 9:00 a.m. in the Upper Church. Visiting is restricted during Mass, so sightseeing is easiest between services; guided visits are not offered on Sundays.
Sources & further readingBasilica of St. Francis: explore the basilica
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