La Verna is a sheer limestone cliff at 1,128 metres in the Tuscan Apennines, its rock split by deep vertical fissures, its summit wrapped in a forest of ancient beech and fir above the Casentino Valley. Local tradition read the fissures long before the friars came: the cracks, it was said, opened at the moment of Christ's death. Francis of Assisi knew that reading when Count Orlando di Chiusi gave him the mountain in 1213, and he came back to it five times for the silence of its woods.
His last ascent was in August 1224, for a forty-day fast before the feast of St. Michael. Tired, ill, and nearly blind, he prayed — in St. Bonaventure's account — for two graces: to feel in his body the pain Christ endured on the cross, and to know in his heart the love that moved him to endure it. On September 14, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a six-winged seraph descended bearing the figure of a crucified man, and when the vision passed, the wounds of Christ were open in Francis's hands, feet, and side — the first documented stigmata in Christian history.
What happened on the rock, the mountain keeps in stone and cloth. The Chapel of the Stigmata stands over the spot itself, a brass plaque in its floor marking where Brother Leo found Francis marked; and in the basilica's Chapel of Relics are the habit Francis wore that September and a linen cloth stained with blood from his wounds, carried in procession on the great feasts. Dante set the mountain in the Paradiso as a crudo sasso — a naked crag — where Francis received "from Christ the final seal."
📜 History & Spiritual Significance
The story of La Verna begins in 1213, when Francis was preaching at the castle of San Leo and a local nobleman named Count Orlando di Chiusi listened with such fervor that he sought the friar out afterward. "I have in Tuscany a mountain called La Verna," Orlando told him. "It is very lonely and wild, and perfectly suited for someone who wishes to do penance in a place removed from the world." On May 8, 1213, the count formally donated the mountain to Francis and his brothers.
Francis was drawn to the mountain's harsh beauty — the biting cold, the jagged rocks, the dense forests where birdsong echoed through the mist. He established a small hermitage with a few cells and, between 1216 and 1218, built the chapel of Santa Maria degli Angeli, naming it after his beloved church in Assisi. Over the following years, he returned repeatedly for extended periods of prayer and contemplation.
The decisive moment came during Francis's final visit in the summer of 1224. Brother Leo, his closest companion and confessor, accompanied him to the mountain, along with Brothers Masseo, Angelo, and Illuminato. As Francis began his forty-day fast, he opened the Gospel three times seeking divine guidance; each time, the book fell open to passages about Christ's Passion. Francis understood that he was being called to share not only Christ's poverty and humility, but his suffering.
What happened next was witnessed by Brother Leo alone. On the morning of September 14, Leo found Francis in a state of profound ecstasy, marked with wounds that would not heal until his death two years later. The flesh of his hands and feet appeared to have been pierced by nails — with what Thomas of Celano described as "certain small pieces of flesh like the ends of nails bent and driven back" — and his right side bore a wound as if made by a lance. For the remaining two years of his life, Francis tried to conceal the marks, wearing shoes and keeping his hands wrapped, but the blood frequently stained his habit.
After the stigmata, Francis remained at La Verna long enough to compose the Laudes Dei Altissimi (Praises of the Most High God) — thanksgiving written on the mountain with the wounds fresh. When he descended in October 1224, he knew he would never return.
The site quickly became a place of pilgrimage. Pope Alexander IV placed La Verna under papal protection, and in 1260 a church was built and consecrated in the presence of St. Bonaventure, who would later write the definitive account of Francis's life and stigmata. Around 1263, Count Simon of Battifolle constructed the Chapel of the Stigmata on the exact spot where Brother Leo had found Francis marked with Christ's wounds. The main basilica was begun in 1348 and completed in 1509, while the Corridor of the Stigmata — connecting the convent to the chapel — was built between 1578 and 1582.
The friars were expelled twice, in the suppressions of religious orders of 1810 and 1866, and twice came back to the mountain. In 1921, Pope Benedict XV elevated the sanctuary to the rank of minor basilica. In September 2024, the Franciscan family gathered at La Verna for the 800th anniversary of the stigmata, and Pope Francis composed a new prayer to be recited at the Chapel of the Stigmata: "Saint Francis, man wounded by love, crucified in body and in spirit, we look to you, decorated with the holy stigmata, to learn how to love the Lord Jesus and our brothers and sisters with your love, with your passion."
☩ Pilgrimage Sites in La Verna
The sanctuary complex sits on the southern flank of Mount Penna, in the beech and fir forest the friars have kept since the 13th century. Pilgrims enter through an arched gateway and climb a few steps to the Quadrante, the paved square at the sanctuary's centre, named for the sundial on the basilica's bell tower and its inscription: "If the sun looks at me, I'll show you the time." A wooden cross planted in the rock overlooks the Casentino Valley far below.
Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta
Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta
Construction began in 1348, in the aftermath of the Black Death, and continued for over 150 years until completion in 1509 — a Latin-cross church with vaulted ceilings, raised to minor basilica by Pope Benedict XV in 1921.
The interior holds the glazed terracotta works of Andrea della Robbia and his workshop, made between 1475 and 1493: the Annunciation (1475), the Nativity, and the monumental Ascension. The Chapel of Relics (Cappella delle Reliquie) is where the mountain keeps its evidence — the habit Francis wore when he received the stigmata, a whip he used for penance, his walking stick, and a linen cloth stained with blood from the wounds. The cloth is carried in procession during the sanctuary's major celebrations.
Chapel of Santa Maria degli Angeli
Chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angeli
The original heart of the hermitage, built by St. Francis himself between 1216 and 1218 and named after the Portiuncula, his beloved chapel at the foot of Assisi. The bell tower houses the bell donated by St. Bonaventure in 1257.
Each day at 3:00 PM, the friars process from this chapel to the Chapel of the Stigmata, a practice begun in 1431. According to beloved legend, one winter night a snowstorm kept the friars from the procession; the next morning they found footprints showing that the forest animals had made it in their stead — and so the friars built the covered corridor, that the procession might never again be interrupted.
Chapel of the Stigmata
Cappella delle Stimmate
Built around 1263 by Count Simon of Battifolle on the spot where Brother Leo found St. Francis after he received the stigmata. The single-nave chapel is covered by a cross vault, and a brass plaque in the floor marks the precise location — the point the whole sanctuary is built around, and the destination of the daily procession. Andrea della Robbia's monumental Crucifixion (1481), glazed terracotta showing Christ on the cross with the mourning Virgin, St. John, St. Francis, and St. Jerome, serves as the altarpiece; above the entrance door, a tondo from della Robbia's workshop depicts the Madonna and Child.
Corridor of the Stigmata
Corridoio delle Stimmate
Built between 1578 and 1582 to shelter the friars on their daily procession, this long covered walkway connects the convent to the Chapel of the Stigmata. The walls carry 21 frescoes of scenes from St. Francis's life, particularly his time at La Verna. The original 17th-century frescoes by Fra' Emanuele da Como deteriorated quickly in the mountain climate and were replaced by the current paintings by Baccio Maria Bacci between 1929 and 1962.
Sasso Spicco
Sasso Spicco ("The Jutting Rock")
Down a stair below the Quadrante, a massive boulder juts from the mountainside, held clear of the walls of the ravine, and the path passes into the cool, damp space beneath it. In this cleft — one of the great fissures the old tradition tied to the hour of Christ's death — Francis withdrew for solitary prayer and meditation on the mystery of the cross. A wooden cross marks the place, and pilgrims on the way to the Chapel of the Stigmata stop under the rock as he did.
The Precipice and Monumental Forest
Il Precipizio / Foresta Monumentale
A narrow stone path from the Chapel of the Stigmata leads to a rock cliff called the Precipice, where according to tradition the devil tried to tempt St. Francis. The view sweeps across the entire Casentino Valley. The surrounding forest has been in the friars' care since the 13th century — beech and fir of great age, inhabited by deer, roe deer, wild boar, and wolves, with eagles, owls, and peregrine falcons above.
🕯️ Annual Feast Days & Celebrations
Feast of the Sacred Stigmata — September 17
The most important day in the sanctuary's calendar, commemorating St. Francis receiving the stigmata in 1224. The preceding night features a vigil of prayer, and pilgrims gather for the solemn procession and Mass. The relic of St. Francis's blood is carried in procession, and the Minister General of the Franciscan Order traditionally presides over the celebrations.
🛏️ Where to Stay
Foresteria del Santuario della Verna (pilgrim accommodation) — The sanctuary guesthouse offers rooms for individuals, families, and groups seeking to pray with the friars. Single, double, triple, and quadruple rooms with heating and private bathrooms; pilgrim dormitory with 16 beds. Full board available. Website
Hotel Da Giovanna ⭐⭐⭐ — Family-run hotel in Chiusi della Verna, approximately 30 minutes' walk from the sanctuary. Rooms with balconies and mountain views, restaurant serving Tuscan specialties. Reserve this hotel
Albergo Bellavista ⭐⭐ — Simple hotel with garden, terrace, restaurant, and bar. Family rooms available. Reserve this hotel
🚗 Getting There
By Air: The nearest major airport is Florence Airport (Aeroporto di Firenze-Peretola), approximately 60 km west. From Florence, the sanctuary is reachable in about 2 hours by car.
By Train: The closest train stations are Arezzo and Bibbiena. From Bibbiena, local buses connect to Chiusi della Verna (approximately 30 km).
By Bus: Regional buses serve Chiusi della Verna. Pilgrims should alight at La Beccia, from where a 650-meter pedestrian path climbs through the ancient entrance to the sanctuary — the traditional walking approach.
By Car: From the A1 motorway (Florence-Rome), exit at Arezzo and follow signs toward Pieve Santo Stefano and Chiusi della Verna. The final approach winds through the Casentino forests. Parking is available near the sanctuary. Note: The SP208 road from Pieve Santo Stefano may have periodic closures for maintenance; check current conditions and consider the alternative route via Caprese Michelangelo.
📚 Further Reading
Books:
Carolyn Muessig, The Stigmata in Medieval and Early Modern Europe — Scholarly examination of stigmata phenomena, beginning with St. Francis at La Verna.
Articles & Online Resources:
La Verna in Tuscany marks 800th anniversary of St. Francis' stigmata — Catholic News Agency coverage of the 2024 anniversary celebrations.
Where St. Francis of Assisi Received the Stigmata: A Visit to the La Verna Sanctuary — EWTN Vatican pilgrimage guide with insights from resident Franciscan friars.
Explore La Verna, the site of St. Francis' stigmata — Aleteia introduction to the sanctuary's history and significance.
The Mystical Nature of La Verna, Tuscany — Art historian Rocky Ruggiero's guide to the sanctuary and its artistic treasures.
🔗 Useful Links
Diocese of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro – Official diocesan website.
Visit Tuscany: La Verna – Regional tourism information.
Casentino Forests National Park – Information about the protected forest surrounding La Verna.
🧭 Nearby Pilgrimage Destinations
- Assisi – 75 km south. The birthplace of St. Francis and headquarters of the Franciscan Order. Home to the Basilica of St. Francis and the Portiuncula.
- Cortona – 60 km south. Ancient Etruscan hill town with the shrine of St. Margaret of Cortona, the "Second Magdalene."
- Camaldoli – 20 km north. Benedictine hermitage and monastery founded in 1012 by St. Romuald, set deep in the Casentino forests.
- Caprese Michelangelo – 15 km east. Birthplace of Michelangelo Buonarroti.
🥾 Pilgrim Routes
Way of St. Francis (Via di Francesco) La Verna serves as the traditional starting point for the northern route of the Via di Francesco, the 500-km pilgrim path from Florence to Rome that traces the footsteps of St. Francis through Umbria and Lazio. The first stage descends from the sanctuary through the forest to Pieve Santo Stefano — 15 km of mostly downhill walking. The path continues through Sansepolcro, Città di Castello, and Gubbio before reaching Assisi, then onward to Rieti and eventually Rome.
🪶 Closing Reflection
"On this Holy Mountain, St Francis lived within himself the profound unity of sequela, imitatio, and conformatio Christi. And this is how he says to us that it is not enough to call oneself Christian to be Christian, nor even to seek to do good deeds. It is necessary to conform oneself to Jesus with a slow, gradual transformation of one's being into the image of the Lord." *— *Pope Benedict XVI, Address for the Shrine of La Verna, 13 May 2012
