The Assisi Cathedral is known for having been the place of the baptism of Saint Francis in 1182 and Saint Clare in 1193. In addition, it was in this cathedral where Saint Francis performed much of his preachings. However, to this day, the Assisi Cathedral is still the Cathedral of “San Rufino”.
“San Rufino” was the first bishop of Assisi in the Umbrian region, early during the third century. He is also known as the Bishop of Marche, one of the twenty regions that make up the Italian Republic. He died as a martyr in 238 in Costano, where he was buried. His remains are transferred to Assisi in the eighth century.
In 1140, construction began on a new Assisi cathedral, in a place where two churches had previously existed. The new cathedral is dedicated to “San Rufino” and his remains were transferred to the new temple. The Church was designed by the architect Giovanni da Gubbio, in the Romanesque style. They took advantage of the structure of the base of the bell tower that belonged to the previous church and increased its height to the Belfry we current view.
