Chiesa museo di San Francesco (Corciano)

Below Corciano's southern gate, the Gothic church of San Francesco preserves fresco cycles from the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, along with twenty-one family tombs marked by carved stone slabs. The building is associated by local tradition with a visit by Francis of Assisi.

Why it matters

The church is documented on 30 September 1300. Tradition links it to Francis of Assisi, said to have stopped at Corciano on his return from Lake Trasimeno. The church's frescoes and family tombs make it an important record of Corciano's religious and civic history.

What to notice

The façade combines white and pink stone, a bicolour pattern characteristic of Umbrian Gothic. Inside, fresco cycles date from the late thirteenth to early fourteenth century, alongside later works by Orlando Merlini, Benedetto Bandiera, Lorenzo Sinibaldi, Giovanni Antonio Scaramuccia and Giuseppe Laudati. Twenty-one stone tomb slabs set into the floor bear the coats of arms of Corciano's leading families.

Context and history

The first documentary record of the building is from 1300. The present Gothic church is generally placed in the late thirteenth century, during the spread of Franciscan communities through the Perugian countryside. No longer used for regular parish worship, it serves Corciano as a church-museum and venue for cultural events.