Sanctuary of Greccio

Sanctuary of Greccio
Sanctuary of Greccio
	View of the Sanctuary
	42°27′42.99″N 12°45′3.68″E / 42.4619417°N 12.7510222°E
Location	Greccio
Country	Italy
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Status	Hermitage
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architectural type	Church
Completed	1228
Administration
Province	Rieti
Diocese	Rieti

The Hermitage of Greccio Sanctuary (Italian: Santuario Eremo di Greccio) is one of the four shrines erected by Saint Francis of Assisi in the Sacred Valley, along with the Sanctuary of Fonte Colombo, the Sanctuary of the Forest, and the convent of Poggio Bustone. It is located in the Italian town of Greccio, about 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) from the city of Rieti, seat of the homonym province, is recessed at an altitude of 665 metres (2,182 ft) above sea level, in the rocks of the mountains in the immediate vicinity of the medieval village of Greccio with views of the wide Rieti Valley.

Francis presented the first living Nativity scene in a nearby cave in December 1223.

Legend

The Saint Francis of Assisi legendarium affirms that he chose this place for devotions. A story within the legendarium tells of a child to whom Francis threw a firebrand, flying like an arrow, and it landed on the rock wall of a hill, the Velita, owned by a lord of Greccio.

Saint Francis's creation of the Nativity scene, 1223

In 1223, Francis here observed and oversaw a retelling, with live people, of the story the birth of Christ on Christmas Eve.^[1]^[2] Since then, Greccio and its sanctuary is the country of the first nativity scene in the world. Later it was twinned with Bethlehem.

Sanctuary and chapel

The shrine is a Latin cross, characterized by a side wall and an apse hexagonal. The mullioned windows are Gothic style. Inside there are frescoes modern and original chapel of the saint carved in the rock. The church is located after crossing the square. It joins the refectory. The church has a Latin cross with a bell tower. Under the medieval church is the crypt of St. Francis with a lunette showing the 'Preparation of the Nativity. The painting dates from the 13th century.

Gallery

View of the convent
The Church of the Immaculate Conception
The Church of the Immaculate Conception (chapel)
The Chapel of the First Live Nativity

References

^ Francke, Linda Bird (2006-12-12). On the Road with Francis of Assisi: A Timeless Journey Through Umbria and Tuscany, and Beyond. Random House Publishing Group. p. 287. ISBN 978-0-345-46966-3.
^ "Greccio, the Fascinating Site of the World's First Nativity Scene". ITALY Magazine. Retrieved 2024-09-25.

External links

Media related to Santuario di Greccio at Wikimedia Commons

[1] Francke, Linda Bird (2006-12-12). On the Road with Francis of Assisi: A Timeless Journey Through Umbria and Tuscany, and Beyond. Random House Publishing Group. p. 287. ISBN 978-0-345-46966-3.

[2] "Greccio, the Fascinating Site of the World's First Nativity Scene". ITALY Magazine. Retrieved 2024-09-25.

[1]

[2]

v t e Francis of Assisi
Organisations	Order of Friars Minor (Custody of the Holy Land) Order of Saint Clare Secular Franciscan Order Third Order of Saint Francis
Works by Francis	Canticle of the Sun
Created	Sanctuary of Greccio Nativity scene (live)
Honors	Feast of Saints Francis and Catherine World Animal Day
Literature about	Little Flowers of St. Francis
Visual art	Nativity with Saint Francis and Saint Lawrence (Caravaggio) Saint Francis in Meditation (Caravaggio) Saint Francis in Prayer (Caravaggio) Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy (Caravaggio) Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata (Giotto) São Francisco (Gonçalves) St Francis (Zurbarán) Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata (van Eyck) St. Francis in Ecstasy (Bellini) Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy (studio of El Greco) St. Francis in Ecstasy (Zurbarán)
Music	"All Creatures of Our God and King" The Canticle of the Sun (Sowerby) Le Laudi (Suter oratorio) Légende No. 1 (Liszt) Laudato si' (Reulein oratorio) Quatre petites prières de saint François d'Assise
Stage	Nobilissima Visione (1938 ballet) Saint François d'Assise (1983 Messiaen opera) Samstag aus Licht (1983 Stockhausen opera)
Films	Frate Sole (1918) The Flowers of St. Francis (1950) Francis of Assisi (1961) Francesco di Assisi (1966) Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972) Francesco (1989) St. Francis (2002) Clare and Francis (2007)
Related	List of places named after Saint Francis Madonna of Foligno Wolf of Gubbio Discalced Prayer of Saint Francis Society of Saint Francis Pope Francis "The Sermon of St. Francis" (poem) Pranchiyettan & the Saint
Catholicism portal

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	Germany