Church of St. Mary in Rivotorto

This neo-Gothic church was named after the nearby brook of "Rivotorto", which runs along the left-hand side of the building.

Constructed in 1854 following a terrible earthquake that completely destroyed the church built on this site in 1500, it was built to protect the hovel that was the cradle of
the Franciscan Order.
The period in which Francis and his first followers stayed here (1209-1211) marks one of the most important events in the life of the saint.
In fact, it was here in Rivotorto that he dictated the First Rule, which was orally approved by Innocent III, and that he first called his friars Brothers Minor.

Having established the first Franciscan community, Francis thus initiated his friars on their path of interior and external mortification, urging them to lead a life dedicated
to prayer, meditation and manual labor.
Several miraculous events date to this period, including the apparition of St. Francis to his companions. The friars had a vision of the saint seated on a dazzling chariot
that circled the hovel three times, even though the saint was actually preaching at the cathedral in Assisi. The portal bears an inscription testifying to the fact that
Rivotorto was the birthplace of the Order of the Friars Minor.

The Interior

The church, which has a nave and two side aisles, has three entrances. In the center of the church is the hovel, which is made up of three very narrow rooms. There is
a fifteenth-century altar in the central room and it features an image of the Immaculate Conception. The room on the right was used by the friars as a dormitory,
whereas the one on the left was the kitchen.

The Hovel

The walls were embellished during the seventeenth century by Twelve Canvases painted by Orvieto artist Cesare Sermei, also known as Cesare of Assisi since he
became a citizen of town. These canvases depict the most important events that took place while St. Francis was staying in Rivotorto.