Isola di San Francesco del Deserto

San Francesco del Deserto is a small Franciscan island between Burano and Sant'Erasmo. Church, cloisters and planted grounds preserve a monastic landscape closely associated with the memory of Francis of Assisi.

Why it matters

Tradition places Francis on the island around 1220 during his return from the eastern Mediterranean. The later donation to the Friars Minor connected this remembered visit with the establishment of a religious community.

What to notice

Two cloisters represent different stages of the monastery's development. The smaller medieval cloister was rebuilt after Napoleonic damage, while the larger cloister dates from the fifteenth century. An inscription recounts the tradition of birds falling silent while Francis prayed. Cypresses, pines and gardens give the buildings a setting distinct from the densely built city.

Context and history

Jacopo Michiel donated the island to the friars in 1233. Fifteenth-century abandonment contributed to the name del Deserto. Military occupation during the Napoleonic period interrupted religious life again. The return secured in 1858 by Bernardino da Portogruaro began a renewed chapter of Franciscan use and restoration.