Chapel V - Dressing of the first followers of Saint Francis

Set apart at the edge of the monumental complex, this chapel stands on level ground. Its form is a single rectangular chamber with a polygonal apse, preceded by a portico. The design is Alessian, recalling the Adam and Eve Chapel at the Sacro Monte of Varallo. The volume is a straightforward parallelepiped, capped by an octagonal apse and fronted by a single bay of gabled portico. Granite pillars rise from bases of brown Oira limestone, with matching capitals and trabeations. The masonry is irregular stonework, roofed in the local tradition with beola slabs. Early Christian churches in Italy often adopted such clear, uncluttered geometries, their interiors directing attention to the sacred narrative. Here, the simple, almost severe exterior gives little hint of the drama once enacted within: the dressing of the first followers of Saint Francis, a moment of transformation rendered in stone and paint.

Description via source. Coordinates and heritage data from the Atika atlas.