About the Eremo delle Carceri

The Eremo delle Carceri is a hermitage complex set 791 metres above sea level within a steep, forested gorge on Monte Subasio, four kilometres above Assisi, surrounded by centuries-old holm oaks, caves, and small chapels where pilgrims still retreat in contemplation today. Francis of Assisi first discovered the site after his release from a year’s captivity following the battle between Perugia and Assisi in 1202, and began retreating there to pray in the early 1200s. In 1215, this wild and solitary place was formally donated to Francis by the Benedictine monks of Monte Subasio, so that he could, in the language of the time, “incarcerarsi” — voluntarily confine himself — in prayer and silence, giving the site its distinctive name, “Carceri.” A staircase descends to a narrow passage leading to the Cave of San Francesco, divided today into two spaces: one holds the simple stone bed on which the saint is said to have slept, the other a stone on which he likely sat to meditate. Just outside the cave, a small opening in the rock floor known as the “Buco del Diavolo” (Devil’s Hole) is associated with a vivid local legend: Brother Rufino, who lived there, was said to be tormented by the devil’s deceptions, until he drove the Evil One away with such force that he plunged, howling, over the cliff, leaving behind the hole still visible today. Other caves nearby housed Francis’s earliest companions — Leo, Anthony of Stroncone, Bernard of Quintavalle, Giles, Sylvester, and Andrew of Spello. In the 14th century, the site was formally granted to the Franciscans, and between 1370 and 1373 the friar Paoluccio Trinci had the first monastic cells built around the church of Santa Maria; the current convent complex reflects further expansion carried out by Saint Bernardino of Siena in the 15th century.