Abbey of Saint Peter

About

The Abbey of St. Peter is a Benedictine abbey in Assisi inhabited by a small community of monks belonging to the Cassinese Congregation. The monastery has supported a hospital for the sick, an agricultural colony, and an orphanage run by the Stigmata Sisters.

History: The monastery of Saint Peter in Assisi was founded in the 10th century, and first documented in 1029. The building was divided into a nave with two aisles with arches supported by columns, and raised presbytery over the crypt. The present building was built over the earlier foundation by Cistercian monks and consecrated by Pope Innocent IV in 1253; the façade was completed in 1268. The monastery became a parish church in 1577 when Pope Gregory XIII expelled the monks. In 1613, Pope Paul V invited monks from the nearby Cassinese monastery of San Pietro in Perugia, making it a functional monastery once again.

Façade: The Romanesque façade was completed in 1268. It is rectangular, with three entries, each surmounted in the second tier by three Gothic rose windows. The two sections are separated by a cornice of hanging arches. The central portal is flanked by two stone lions.