Edited Writing Assignment #1

The Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi is the subject of my photograph. The picture was taken in November of 2011, during my study abroad trip to Italy.

Although I have very similar shots of the church from my class trip to Assisi, this one holds particular significance for me. The context of the time when the photograph was taken contributes to its significance. Outside the frame is me, reading aloud from my journal, and the photographer: my sister, Lisa, who traveled Italy with me for a week.

During the moments Lisa took pictures of the church, I decided to share with her some poetry from my journal. I was enrolled in a poetry course at the time, and the entire study abroad experience lent itself to pages of writing. The poem I read was inspired by the basilica and the life of St. Francis. 

The basilica itself is possibly the most interesting I visited while abroad. It is also multi-level: The crypt, where St. Francis’ tomb lies, is the basement of the building, the ground floor level is the original church, and built directly above it is the new church.

The older church is very dimly lit, with masonic architecture and glittering golden mosaics. In the masonic style, many of the arches were not mathematically calculated, so there are slight variations in the angles and tilting of the ceiling and beams. Staring at crooked arches is rather disorienting, and evokes a sense similar to vertigo for observers. Side chapels contain devotions to saints other than Francis, and much of the artwork on the walls remains unexplained. Conversely, the upper-level church was built in the Italian Gothic style, with much more illumination from windows and the color palette. Giotto, a famous Italian painter, decorated the panels along the nave with frescoes, which in great pictorial detail depict the life of St. Francis. 

As Giotto visually explains, Francis had great faith and was a revolutionary. At a time in the Catholic Church when much of the clergy was very affluent and ostentatious, Francis chose austere poverty. He promoted much-needed reform that stretched all the way to the pope. 

Therefore, the picture reminds me of St. Francis’ life and of the beautiful architecture of the basilica. The reason for the structure, the structure itself, and the context of the photograph are why this specific church represents me well. Furthermore, my memory of the moment inspires me artistically.