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, . . .