Italy displays the remains of Saint Francis of Assisi to the general public for the first time

Remains of Saint Francis of Assisi, displayed in the Basilica of Assisi, in Italy JULIETTE RABAT / AFP Thousands of pilgrims will visit, starting this Sunday (22), the remains of Saint Francis of Assisi in Italy, exposed to the public for the first time in an exhibition that marks the 800th anniversary of his death. “Corpus Sancti Francisci”: an inscription in Latin on the acrylic window reminds visitors who owns the skeleton of the saint who died in 1226, whose relics will be on display until March 22, in front of the altar of the lower church of the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi. ✅ Follow g1’s international news channel on WhatsApp A long line of pilgrims waited outside the temple, which opened its doors at 7am local time. Around 400,000 people have already reserved a place. Nicoletta Benolli, 65, traveled from Verona to view the remains and said, emotionally, that it was a “unique” event. “At a time like this, we have the truth before our eyes,” he summarized. An initiative that “can be a significant experience for both believers and non-believers, as Francis testifies, with these bones so damaged, so consumed, that he gave himself completely”, explained Friar Giulio Cesáreo, director of communications at the Franciscan convent of Assisi. The body of the saint, founder of the Franciscan order, who renounced his wealth and dedicated his life to the poor, was taken to the basilica built in his honor in 1230. But it was only in 1818, at the end of excavations carried out with the utmost discretion, that his tomb was discovered. Usually hidden, the transparent reliquary that has contained the remains of Saint Francis since 1978 was removed on Saturday morning from the metal vault where it rested in his stone tomb in the basilica’s crypt. The small skeleton, whose skull was damaged during its transfer to the basilica in the 13th century, rests on a white silk cloth. The bones of St. Francis had only been displayed once before, in 1978, to a limited number of people and for a single day. “What is truly beautiful, and was not initially planned, is the fact that a bulletproof and burglar-proof glass reliquary, completely transparent, will cover Francisco’s body, allowing us not only to see, but also to touch this reliquary”, added Friar Cesáreo. In addition to the glass structure that covers the acrylic structure, there will be 24-hour surveillance cameras to ensure the safety of the skeleton, which is expected to receive 15,000 visitors per day during the week and up to 19,000 on Saturdays and Sundays. Veneration of relics Friar Cesáreo explains that “since the time of the catacombs, Christians have venerated the bones of martyrs, the relics of martyrs, and have never truly considered them something macabre”, explained Friar Cesáreo. What “Christians still venerate today, in 2026, in the relics of a saint” is “the presence of the Holy Spirit”, he noted. Also in Assisi, in the Sanctuary of Dispossession, the relics of Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager who died in 2006 and was canonized in September by Pope Leo XIV, are preserved. Experts guarantee that Saint Francis’ remains will not suffer any changes from prolonged exposure. “The showcase [de acrílico] It is sealed, so there is no contact with outside air. In fact, it remains in the same condition as it would be in the tomb”, says Friar Cesáreo. Not even the dim lighting of the church will put the preservation of the remains at risk. “The basilica will not be lit like a stadium because there is nothing special to be done; this is a meeting with Francis, not a movie set”, concluded the Franciscan. On October 4, for the first time in almost 50 years, the day of Saint Francis of Assisi will once again become a national holiday in Italy, in honor of the country’s patron saint and the Argentine pope who adopted his name. Pope Francis, who died in April 2025 at the age of 88, was the first to adopt the saint’s name.

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