The Earlier Churches on the Site

The First Church of San Rufino 

According to St Peter Damian, a "small basililica" dedicated to St Rufinus existed on this site in ca. 1050, when it was administered by a community of canons (see Patron Saints).  This shrine was possibly on the site of the sacristy of the present church. 

The date of the construction of this shrine is unknown, but a 14th century legend attributes it to Bishop Basilio in 412.  A relief (ca. 800) that is preserved in the crypt probably  formed part of its decoration.

Bishop Ugone's Church

According to St Peter Damian, Bishop Ugone built a new church on this site in ca. 1050 (see St Rufinus).   Its facade was in the present Piazza di San Rufino, and the foundations of its apse survive under the nave of the present church (see below).

This church replaced Santa Maria Maggiore as the Duomo of Assisi soon after its completion, although the Palazzo Vescovile remained on its original site next to Santa Maria Maggiore.

A number of traces of Bishop Ugone's church survive:

• The foundations of its apse and a number of graves from the cemetery that was behind it can be seen from viewing panels in the pavement of the nave of the present church.  These remains came to light during the restoration of San Rufino that followed the 1997 earthquake.

• Part of the crypt under its apse was excavated in 1895 and restored in 2000.  It is reached from a door in the right aisle of the present church.

• The Roman cistern that formed the base of its campanile was reused in this capacity in the present church.  It is reached from the left aisle of the present church.
  

• A red marble relief (11th or 12th century) that might have come from its facade was reused in the lunette of the central portal in the facade of the present church.  
  

• A number of of other architectural fragments are displayed in the corridor that leds to the Museo della Cattedrale.
  

This church probably remained in use for some decades after 1140, when work started on building the present church behind it.  It was almost certainly still in use when St Francis was baptised in 1181, and probably remained so for much of his life.  If this is correct, then two of the surviving links between St Francis and San Rufino should be associated with the 11th century church: the font, which now stands at the start of the right aisle; and the Oratorio di San Francesco, which is reached from the sacristy.

Font

The ancient font, which was probably originally in  Santa Maria Maggiore, would have been moved to San Rufino when this church became the Duomo of Assisi.  It was almost certainly used for the baptism of St Francis in ca. 1181 and of St Clare in ca. 1194.  It might also have been in the early 1190s for the baptism of the Emperor Frederick II.  Since the present church was still in construction at this time, the font probably remained in its predecessor, although it is possible that it had been temporarily moved back to Santa Maria Maggiore.

Oratorio di San Francesco

St Bonaventure records that, shortly after St Francis received papal approbation of his new way of life (i.e. in ca. 1210), he often used to preach in San Rufino.  (Again, while there is no proof, this was probably in the 11th century church, since its successor was still in construction).  On these occasions, St Francis would first spend a night night in a hut the canons’ garden praying for inspriation for his sermon on the following morning.  Stairs in the sacristy lead down to a subterranean vaulted room (the Oratorio di San Francesco) that is reputed to stand on the site of this hut.

On one occasion while St Francis was in the hut, his brothers at their base at Rivo Torto had a vision in which he ascended to Heaven in a fiery chariot.  A relief (1944) of this vision can be seen above the simple altar in the oratory.

[Roman wall ???]

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