Nearly 400,000 people are expected to venerate the saint’s relics while on public display through March 22.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of pilgrims lined up before dawn on Sunday to be among the first to pray before the exposed relics of St. Francis in his basilica in Assisi, Italy. <\/p>\n
The saint\u2019s bones will lie in a glass box through March 22 \u2014 fully visible outside the stone tomb in a crypt where they usually rest \u2014 as hundreds of thousands of people venerate the holy remains.<\/p>\n
A highly organized system with QR code reservations allowed approximately 750 people to enter the lower church of the basilica every 30 minutes through most of the day Feb. 22 to view the saint.<\/p>\n
Filing past 13th-14th century frescoes by Cimabue and Giotto, pilgrims on the chilly but sunny winter day approached the glass case, protected by a plexiglass barrier. Some were overwhelmed with emotion as they had the opportunity to stand a foot away from what still exists of St. Francis on earth 800 years after his death, according to Jacob Stein.<\/p>\n
Stein, the creator of Crux Stationalis blog and part of the social media team of EWTN News, was among the first group to arrive at the church. Despite the crowds, he described the atmosphere in Assisi and in the presence of the relics as prayerful and unrushed. Inside the basilica, where cellphone use was forbidden, friars gently recalled the pilgrims to silent recollection when voices got above a whisper. People knelt before St. Francis and kissed the glass and left their written prayers in boxes shared by the Franciscans.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy prayer afterwards was to the wounds of Christ, to honor them,\u201d Stein said, referring to St. Francis\u2019 stigmata. This moment helps you to understand that the devotion for St. Francis is because of \u201chis conformity to Christ as a complete and utter example to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bones of St. Francis are on display in Assisi, Italy, from Feb. 22 to March 22, 2026, for the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death. Credit: Daniel Ibanez\/EWTN News.<\/p>\n
\u2018Francis continues to speak\u2019<\/p>\n
The public veneration of St. Francis\u2019 body has probably never happened before in history, the Franciscan friars who have organized the monthlong event told journalists the day before visits began. The extraordinary viewing has been the most highly anticipated part of celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of the death of the poor friar in 1226.<\/p>\n
As of Feb. 21, 370,000 people had reserved a time slot, and while 80% of the registered pilgrims will travel from within Italy, the friars expect visitors from countries on five continents, including at least 5,000 people from the United States.<\/p>\n
Over 400 lay volunteers and many Franciscan friars living in Assisi \u2014 heirs to the religious order founded by St. Francis \u2014 are involved in carrying out the ambitious project and related events throughout the month.<\/p>\n
Assisi\u2019s new Bishop Felice Accrocca, who will be formally installed March 25, said at the press conference that St. Francis, in life, was barely five feet and two inches tall: \u201cHe wore dirty clothes and his face was not beautiful, yet God gave great power to his words.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrancis continues to speak. I hope that this month will help us to reflect on this,\u201d Accrocca said.<\/p>\n
Pilgrims from across Italy described getting to pray before the exposed remains of St. Francis on Feb. 22 as very emotional and a huge joy. \u201cWe are very attached to him \u2026 He is our protector,\u201d married couple Assunta and Salvatore from Frattamaggiore, on the outskirts of Naples, told EWTN News. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t expect to be able to see him so close,\u201d one Italian pilgrim told EWTN News. \u201cTo be able to touch [the plexiglass] \u2026 gives you a sense of absolute tranquility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today in Assisi, the mortal remains of St. Francis of Assisi were solemnly transferred from his tomb to the Basilica of St. Francis, opening an unprecedented period of public veneration marking the 800th anniversary of his death. Nearly 350,000 pilgrims have already registered to\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/8odOSk05WG<\/p>\n
Luciano Avino, a teen from the Naples-area, said, \u201cJust getting close, almost touching the bones, was truly a unique moment \u2026 I\u2019m sure I will never forget it.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an interview earlier this month with ACI Stampa, EWTN News\u2019 Italian-language sister service, the bishop emeritus of Assisi, Domenico Sorrentino, explained why Christians venerate relics \u2014 pieces of the mortal remains \u2014 of saints such as Francis.<\/p>\n
\u201cEncountering those bones is a way of encountering the saint, but above all, a way of participating in his faith in the risen Jesus, in view of our eternal future,\u201d Sorrentino said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeyond the inevitably fleeting glance at those bones, it is important to welcome their message: In the Christian view of death, which Francis not coincidentally called \u2018sister,\u2019 even the remains of our bodies \u2026 continue to have meaning,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Veronica Giacometti contributed to this report.<\/p>\n
This article was originally published by EWTN News English.<\/p>\n