The Basilica of St Francis

From 1655 to the Nineteenth Century

A terrible fire broke out inside the Basilica of Saint Francis on the night of August 25th 1655, destroying works of art and altars. After the devastating episode the church underwent major restructuring in both the inner and outer parts of the Franciscan complex. The first repair was carried out after the disastrous event and entailed the refurbishment of the place of worship with Baroque stylistic elements: side chapels were built along the sides of the nave and huge altars, richly decorated with white, red and yellow plaster, were added.
In 1783 Leopold II suppressed some of the city’s religious orders, including the Franciscans; at first the church was used as a warehouse, then, after the earthquake of 1798, it became a shelter for homeless families. From 1808 it was occupied by French troops, who used the crypt as a saltpetre production plant, an essential element for the production of gunpowder, and then from 1859 by the Austrians. To adapt the church to military use some new walls were made and towards the late nineteenth century, after the occupation of the Italian army, a plan devised to permanently convert the holy place into barracks. Such a plan gave rise to protests throughout the city, soon followed by the establishment of a committee for the safeguard and restoration of the church. The artistic director of the works was Sienese architect Giuseppe Partini who, between 1883 and 1893, restored the church in a replica fourteenth-century style, in line with the purist inclination of that period. All Baroque influences were removed: the altars were destroyed and the bricked-in windows were opened again, bringing to light particulars of frescoes which are still visible along the nave. Money for the high restoration costs was raised by the citizens of Siena, some of whom are mentioned in the family coats of arms embedded in the stained glass windows made by Francis Xavier Zettler’s studio in Munich. Even the high altar was completely redesigned by Giuseppe Partini and sculpted by Leopoldo Maccari who, with Sienese artists Tito Corsini, Giorgio Bandini, Cesare Maccari and Luciano Zalaffi, took part in the church’s renovation. In 1894 it was consecrated again and re-opened for worship. In addition, Pope Leo XIII granted the title of Basilica and Sanctuary of the Eucharistic Miracle.