Wender·Vista
Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileItaly
on the western flank of the hill at Assisi, in Umbria

Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi

— — the wall the painter taught to speak.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“Two churches stacked on a hillside above the Spoleto valley, the lower built into the slope, the upper rising over it in pale Subasio limestone. Inside, Giotto's life of Francis carries the upper nave around in twenty-eight panels, and the body of the saint rests in the crypt beneath both. The pilgrim road from the train station climbs slowly. The bells, when they go, carry far.

from the studio
Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi
— bring it home

Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi stands at the western edge of Assisi, a hill town in the Umbrian province of Perugia, about 175 kilometres north of Rome. Construction began in 1228, two years after the death of Francis, and the upper basilica was consecrated in 1253. The building is mother church of the Conventual Franciscans and one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Catholic Christendom. UNESCO inscribed the basilica and other Franciscan sites of Assisi as World Heritage in 2000, citing its role in the development of Italian art.

— the stone

The basilica is built of pink and white limestone quarried from Monte Subasio, the mountain rising directly behind the town. Two churches share one footprint: the Lower Basilica, vaulted low and dim, holding the tomb of Francis in a crypt rediscovered in 1818; and the Upper Basilica, with a single tall nave whose Gothic vaulting was the first of its kind in central Italy. The 1997 Umbrian earthquake brought down sections of the upper vault; the restoration, completed in 1999, returned the Cimabue and Giotto cycles to the wall.

— the visit

The basilica is open to pilgrims and visitors year-round, generally 06:00 to 18:50 in the upper church and somewhat shorter hours in the lower, with no admission charge. Modest dress is required and photography is not permitted inside. The complex includes the Sacro Convento, a working friary since the thirteenth century. Most visitors arrive from Santa Maria degli Angeli station, four kilometres downhill, by bus or on foot up the medieval pilgrim road. The Feast of Saint Francis falls on the fourth of October.

— where
Italy · Assisi, Province of Perugia, Umbria
— elevation
424 m · 1,391 ft
— position
43.0746° N · 12.6055° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
1 km E
Basilica of Santa Chiara
basilica
4 km E
Eremo delle Carceri
hermitage
4 km SW
Santa Maria degli Angeli
basilica
6 km E
Monte Subasio
mountain
N
Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi
Basilica of Santa Chiara
Eremo delle Carceri
Santa Maria degli Angeli
Monte Subasio
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

In Assisi, a hill town in the Umbrian province of Perugia, central Italy, about 175 kilometres north of Rome. The basilica stands at the western edge of the old town above the Spoleto valley.

Construction began in 1228, two years after the death of Francis, on land donated for the purpose. The Lower Basilica was consecrated in 1230 and the Upper Basilica in 1253, both within a generation of the saint's death.

The Upper Basilica carries Giotto's cycle of twenty-eight scenes from the life of Francis, completed around 1300. Cimabue, the school of Pietro Cavallini, and the Sienese painters Simone Martini and Pietro Lorenzetti also worked in the lower and upper churches.

Yes. The body of Francis was moved into the Lower Basilica in 1230 and hidden in the rock beneath it. The crypt was rediscovered in 1818 and is now open to pilgrims at the lower level.

Yes. The basilica and the other Franciscan sites of Assisi were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000, recognised for their role in the development of Italian and European art.

Modest dress is required: shoulders and knees covered for both men and women. Photography is not permitted inside either church, and silence is asked of visitors in the lower basilica around the crypt.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. For someone formed by Franciscan spirituality, the tile carries the basilica without the gift-shop note. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio sits well on a desk or a prayer shelf.

Yes. The Large or a 4-tile Mural reads cleanly in a parish hall, narthex, or community room. The Medium works in a friar's cell or a chaplain's office without overwhelming the wall.

The pale limestone tones and saturated stained-glass colours sit well with Italian-traditional, dark-academia, and warm minimalist interiors. It reads quiet against unpainted plaster, oak, or terracotta tile.

Over a standard sofa, a single Large or a 4-tile Mural holds the wall. Above a console or chest, a Medium centres cleanly. For a stairwell or entry, a 9-tile Mural carries the room.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and built for vertical installations near steam and splash. The Glossy finish is meant for framed wall pieces away from direct water.

A soft microfibre cloth and clean water are enough. Avoid abrasive pads and ammonia-based sprays. For backsplash installations, a damp cloth weekly keeps the surface clear.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to the studio, curated by Reid Wender, and produced in-house. One studio, one eye, no licensing, no stock imagery.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.
— a collection

The Italian Dolomites,
painted slow.

The valleys between Cortina and Val Gardena, the tarns you walk an hour to see, the towers that turn the colour of a banked fire just before dark. Wander the collection by valley, by season, or follow the path Reid walked.

Tre Cime
Braies
Misurina
Sorapis
Cinque Torri
Sassolungo
Marmolada